Captive Complications
by Ice'is Blue
Summary: Lonely King Yamato, seeking to increase his lands, decides it's a good idea to capture himself a princess. But once his royal captive has arrived, what is Yamato going to do with -him-? Yamachi and Daishiro. Fairy tale YAOI fluff.
1. A Present to Myself

**Author's Notes: **

Procrastination seems to be hard-wired into my system, even when I'm working on something that I absolutely love. So while you're waiting for another chapter of Dark Masquerade, enjoy this bit of fluff I cooked up after reading one of Rae's challenges. I'll post what the terms were when the fic is completed.

When will it be completed? Good question. It's definitely not going to be an epic like DM, so it'll be short and sweet. The second small bit should be out in the next day or so, but after that, I'm not sure. Should be finished by the middle of June. As for those yearning for an update on Dark Masquerade... I haven't forgotten it. I haven't abandoned it. I am still plugging away at it. Expect another _large_ update by the end of May, or in the absolute worst-case-scenario, the end of June... although I'm fervently hoping it's not going to take that long. ^_^;;;

**Warnings: **

Rated PG-13 for language and *ahem* adult situational humor. Also be warned that this will contain fluff (or perhaps it might be all fluff), my twisted sense of humor, and a certain sense of irony/spoof-ishness when read in conjunction with Dark Masquerade. If you're looking for a deep, thought-provoking plot like DM, this fic does not have it. Oh yes, how could I have forgotten. It also contains a large dosage of guy/guy luvin'. Specifically, Taito, and an eventually resolved triangle of Koushiro - Taichi - Jyou. Other parings may appear at my discretion. _(Update 05/10/03: Parings changed to Yamachi and Kousuke. Subject to further change. ^^;;; And although the requested Taito to Yamachi switch was honored, Taichi will not be super-girly.)_

  
  


**Captive Complications**

**by Ice'is Blue**

  
  


**1. A Present to Myself**

  
  


King Yamato's eyes glimmered with feverish delight as the squirming bundle was placed upon the floor below him.

"I trust that you encountered little trouble in capturing my prize." His soldiers looked at each other for a moment, then nodded.

"Leave us," he commanded. The soldiers bowed and left... perhaps a little too quickly. But as eager as he was to unwrap the present he had decided to give himself, he paid their mood little attention.

The cloth-covered lump lay still. He skipped down off his throne and placed his hand on the middle of the oblong bundle, probably the girl's hip. Although, there were no real distinguishing features apparent through the wrapping.

"There, there, Princess Hikari," he soothed, patting the fabric. "I promise to take very good care of you. Your family can either pay to have you returned, only half your lands would be required, or they can refuse payment and I'll keep you instead."

"Get your hand off of my dick, you bastard," a most-decidedly _non_-feminine voice growled.

Eyes going wide, Yamato backed away. After a few moments of struggling, the person freed the upper portion of their body from what might have once been burgundy curtains. Rather, the upper portion of _his_ body.

Angry brown eyes glared up at Yamato. "So you wanted to capture yourself a princess? Well, I'm lucky your soldiers don't have an ounce of wit between them. It's saved me the trip of hunting you down and ripping you apart for even _thinking_ of trying to hurt my baby sister."

It was Prince Taichi. For once in his life, Yamato was speechless. How had his soldiers managed to capture the Prince instead of the Princess? 

What the hell was he supposed to do with a Prince? He took in the murderous expression on the man's face... More importantly, how the hell was he going to survive the next minute?

Taichi exploded into motion, leaping up from the fabric that was wound about his legs. The enraged man was a mere three steps away from being able to strangle Yamato when he tripped on the low hem of his garment and face-planted into the floor.

Taichi cursed, holding his head in pain, "Damn dress... forgot I was wearing it."

  
  


TBC...

  
  



	2. All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go

**A/N:** Big thanks to everyone who took the time to review! As promised, here's the next part. Unfortunately, I don't know when the next bit will be posted. -_-;;

  
  


**Captive Complications**

**by Ice'is Blue**

  
  


**2. All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go**

  
  


Prince Taichi. A dress. Not Hikari. Prince Taichi. A dress. 

Unable to think in concepts greater than two words, King Yamato finally found his tongue. "GUARDS!!"

Uniformed men immediately poured into the room and easily overwhelmed the prince, who was too busy nursing a cracked skull to pay them any mind. In a matter of moments, they had Prince Taichi on his feet and trussed up rather strongly with a great deal of rope.

Yamato gave a hard look at his Master of the Guard. "You knew about this," he said, waving at the pink-garbed prince.

The man blanched. "Not exactly, King Yamato. We were sure that it was Princess Hikari's window, it was dark, and the men did clearly make out the silhouette of a dress. But the attack was too swift to be sure of our target. We thought that the Princess was a bit heavy and that her grunts were rather deep, but if we had not moved quickly, we would have been discovered and killed."

Momentarily, Yamato was annoyed that his Master of the Guard had always been an extremely loyal and competent subject. The fact made it such that he could not punish the man too severely, as Yamato still relied on him heavily in many areas. He raked his hand through his blonde locks and began pacing. "Was the ransom note left?" he asked, dreading the response.

"Yes, your highness."

"And was Princess Hikari specifically named in that note?" When the resulting answer was indeed given as an affirmative, he sighed, then quit his pacing. "Make sure that he is securely tied, then leave us. I'll just have to think of something else."

Once the room was empty of distractions, Yamato noticed that Taichi was surprisingly remaining silent. He allowed himself to look a bit closer, now that the brunette was effectively prevented from causing him harm, and he determined that, yes, Prince Taichi was indeed wearing what could only be termed as a ballgown... in a shade of pink that was highly flattering, in Yamato's opinion. Judging from the way the gown fit his curves (or lack-thereof) it was unlikely that the garment belonged to the Princess. He took a step closer to the unhappy-looking brunette. A very large bump was forming on the man's forehead.

"Does it hurt?" he questioned sympathetically.

Taichi scowled at him. "What do you think?"

Feeling rather miffed that his concern was rewarded with a snotty attitude, Yamato shot back, "Well, what were you doing in a dress in Hikari's room anyway?"

Taichi flushed, the action giving the king welcome proof that Yamato's plan had not been discovered ahead of time and that Taichi had not intended to act as a decoy. "It's none of your business," he muttered, looking away.

The lack of malice behind the words caught Yamato's attention. "You're not angry with me? A minute ago you wanted to kill me."

Taichi looked surprised briefly, then sneered. "I just don't want to get the dress dirty with your foul blood. Besides," he added, staring into Yamato's eyes, his expression becoming more soft and natural. "We both know that you wouldn't have harmed her. You're not the type."

Not 'the type'? What was that supposed to mean? Yamato wondered. Surely Taichi wasn't commenting on Yamato's sexual preferences. His advisors all agreed that he'd kept them well hidden. Taichi had to be remarking on Yamato's appeared ability to carry through with a task. Yes, that was it. Taichi was attacking his capability as a commander. That was all.

As much as it hurt Yamato's pride in being a strong ruler, he had to admit that Taichi was right. He would not have harmed the Princess. The kidnapings had been mostly a ploy for increased land -- one piece of land in particular -- one that would ensure his happiness. And if Hikari's father preferred losing his daughter over losing his land, Yamato would have offered the princess to Takeru, since the boy knew and fancied her.

Kidnapings the heir to the throne was a very different matter from kidnapings a princess. The latter happened all of the time. The former was an act of war. 

"So what do I do with you now?" he asked, neither contesting nor affirming Taichi's statement.

"The _obvious_ and _intelligent_ course of action would be to let me go," the brunette said.

Yet Yamato, now that the death-threat portion of the evening was over, was rather enjoying Taichi's company. It would be much more interesting to keep his accidental captive. And who knew? Maybe Yamato would get his important piece of land and just maybe he would finally find his happiness like the mysterious robed figure had promised. One thing he did know for certain was that he wanted to spend some more time with the prince.

Yamato shook his head. "Sorry," he answered the other man. "I can't let you go. It's too dangerous."

Taichi snorted. "It's more dangerous for you to keep the heir to the throne here against his will. The royals always suspected that you were lacking in the brain's department. Now I have proof."

"I'm thinking more than you are! I didn't mean dangerous for me," Yamato laughed, the sound rolling out easily. Taichi was just too much fun to tease! "No offense," he explained to the cutely confused and irritated prince, "But you wouldn't last one minute outside this room in that dress." 

Taichi's jaw dropped and a muscle beneath his left eye began to twitch.

Careless of the doom that was being promised in the man's brown eyes, Yamato continued, "The pink does look pretty on you but in order to be taken seriously as an escaping prisoner, you'd need... Hmmm..." He dramatically paused to think. "Maybe... maybe... a gown in a light shade of blue, perhaps?"

With a cry of outrage, Taichi ran at Yamato and bent his head for a breath-stealing blow to the king's belly. The impact caught Yamato off-guard and the two tumbled to the ground, Taichi landing firmly on top of the blonde's outstretched body. 

  
  


TBC...

  
  



	3. Sir Pineapple and the Nymph

**Disclaimer:**

In my excitement, I forgot to do one earlier. ^^;;; IB does not own Digimon.

  
  


**Author's Notes: **

*grins* Thank you to everyone who reviewed! This chapter's a bit time-condensed and plot-heavy, but that'll let the next chapter be much more interesting. 

Okay. The plot's changed a bit from what I originally intended. Jyou just wasn't behaving himself and only acted like a stick in the mud. So, instead of Jyoushiro, we're going to have the rare Kousuke/Daishiro pairing.

And, because so many people asked for it, or because the same people did multiple times ^^, YAMACHI! You are correct. Yamato is the King, after all. But... despite his dress-wearing, Tai's not going to act like an über-uke. For this story, guys will be acting like [cute] guys.

  
  


**Captive Complications**

**by Ice'is Blue**

  
  


**3. Sir Pineapple and the Nymph**

  
  


"You found a letter saying _what?_" roared the King.

The Captain of the Guard paled, but did not take the desired step backwards. He pitched his voice only slightly louder, for he knew that the King had heard him the first time. "It's ransom note for Princess Hikari. The guards have sealed off the entire palace and word has been passed on to the city gates, but we fear that they are already gone."

"You _fear?_ I want you to be _sure!_"

"Yes, sire." The captain bowed. "My men are already doing a systematic search of the entire palace. I shall have the results shortly."

"Make it soon. I want news of my daughter. And where is my son? Somebody find the prince and bring him here!" A uniformed man by the entrance quickly scurried out to do his King's bidding.

When the doors opened shortly thereafter, it was the Queen who entered, her face tight with worry. She moved quickly to her husband's side. "What has happened? The guards are creating such a stir."

The King took her hand and said gently, "Hikari's been kidnaped." Seeing the extreme shock on her face, he continued, "But don't worry. The note's been signed by King Yamato. If she has truly been taken from the castle, she should be safe enough with him."

The Queen shook her head. "That can't be, dear. Hikari is in my chambers and has been there for several hours."

A few candle-marks later, only three-quarters of the royal family had gathered. Taichi was missing.

Princess Hikari looked at her father. "Is it possible he found the note and went after me without even bothering to check and see if I was really gone? That's the sort of impetuous thing that he would do."

The King had to nod in agreement. He knew his son sometimes made rash decisions. But he could not believe that Taichi was so irresponsible as to not alert the rest of the guard to the problem. When he spoke his thoughts, his wife sorrowfully asked, "So, where is my son?"

He held her hand to comfort her. "I shall send one of my knights to speak with King Yamato. Hopefully he will know where Taichi is and this will all just be a mistake."

"Who will you send?" Hikari asked.

The doors crashed open and the family looked up to see a soldier enter, followed by a knight in haphazardly worn armor that was only slightly shining. "My Lord and Ladies, announcing Sir Koushiro of Pineapple!"

The King waited as his wisest (and shortest) knight caught his breath.

"I came as soon as I heard," the man puffed. "Please allow me the honor of returning the beautiful princess to your side."

King, Queen, and Princess gave each other odd looks. 

"You may remove your helmet, Sir Koushiro," the King said.

"Princess, you're here! I am glad to see you safe, but I have a sadness in my heart that I was not able to be your rescuer."

Hikari smiled. There wasn't much else she could do. Sir Koushiro had always acted enamored of her. As a princess, it was a given that she should be universally loved, but she wanted to do nothing to encourage that emotion in the knight. Choosing not to speak directly to her would-be rescuer, she asked her father, "Papa, why didn't you tell everybody that I was okay?"

The King had grace enough to look sheepish. "With security so tight, we actually caught a few criminals that had been bothering us. I was delaying the announcement in the hopes that we might catch a few more."

Sir Koushiro was still standing near the door, his helmet held awkwardly under one arm. He shifted uncomfortably. "Well, if the Princess is safe, then I shall return."

"Wait, Sir Koushiro," the King called. "I was about to send for you. The note was in ransom for the Princess, but it is the Prince who is missing."

"Taichi?" Koushiro felt his gut clench. "I mean, Prince Taichi?" His act of loving the princess was only to cover the desire he felt for her brother. "Is there any news of him?"

"No, but we suspect that he is being held by King Yamato. We are not sure what happened, but perhaps those sent on the mission mistakenly decided to get a bigger bargaining chip for their King. But kidnaping an heir is an act of war and war is something that I want to avoid." The King stood. "Sir Koushiro, speak with King Yamato on my behalf. See if he is keeping Taichi and do what you must to get him back."

"I will," the knight vowed. "Sire, my horse is tired from its rapid journey. Might I borrow a fresh steed from the stables?"

"Of course. You may have your pick. And bring one for Taichi to ride. I want you to bring my son home."

Koushiro bowed and wasted no time in reaching the royal stables. He had already selected one horse and was trying to decide between another two, when a voice sounded from behind and below him.

"I wouldn't take either of those if you're going on a long journey," the light-tenored voice spoke.

Koushiro spun and looked around, but saw no one... not even the grooms that had been present only a short while ago.

"Who said that? Show yourself."

At his request, a figure in a green hooded cloak appeared in front of him, standing only as tall as Koushiro's shoulder.

"Who are you to say that, boy?" he questioned -- not rudely, but because he wanted to know the fault in his decisions.

The figure lowered his hood to reveal his delicately pointed ears. "I'm not a boy. I'm a nymph who knows a thing or two about horses."

Koushiro's eyes widened at the revelation that the youthful diminutive man was a nymph. Nymphs were so rarely seen these days. And they were never seen far from their tree. That gave him pause to think.

"Why are you here?" he asked suspiciously.

"I've come to offer you aid in rescuing Prince Taichi."

The answer only made Koushiro's analytical mind work harder. "What makes you think the Prince is missing?"

"I saw him being taken," the nymph admitted uncomfortably. He needed Koushiro to take him with him, but right now, the knight was still untrusting and had slightly angered when the nymph had admitted his limited involvement. "I am a peaceful creature and there was nothing I could have done at the time."

"War would not be good," Koushiro agreed cautiously, but he was still suspicious. "If you're peaceful, then how can you help me?"

"I can make sure that your path through the forest to King Yamato's castle is unhindered and I can aid you in the rescue. I want to protect the land as much as you do."

The nymph waited as the human made his decision. The stretched, tugging sensation he felt from being so far away from his tree and glen created a constant ache in his body, but he kept smiling. The pain was a necessary evil. The ceremony was more important. To that end, the love that he could sense in Koushiro for the Prince would harm the plan. That love would need to be diverted in the coming days. It was merely an added bonus that distracting the charming knight would prove to be very pleasurable.

Sighing, Koushiro finally decided, "Fine, you may accompany me there... What's your name, by the way?" 

The nymph pulled up the hood to cover his wild auburn hair. "I'm called Daisuke."

The name caught Koushiro's attention. It translated to 'Great Helper.' He could tell that the nymph was up to something, but he couldn't be sure of what. The safest course of action would be do deny the nymph permission to travel with him. But the thought of being able to pick that nymph's brain along the way was very enticing. He wouldn't mind studying the nymph in the slightest.

"You may call me Koushiro."

The nymph hid his amusement from the knight. He had been watching the gentle, short man for a long time and already knew his name well. "Shall we go?"

In the end, Koushiro let the nymph pick out a horse that was suitable and they began their journey.

The travel time passed quickly, Koushiro eagerly allowing Daisuke to do most of the talking. The knight was fascinated to learn more secrets about the land that he lived in. For a brief moment during their journey, the nymph's face, that had been becoming gradually more relaxed as they moved away from the palace, suddenly tightened in pain. Daisuke admitted that they had passed his glen and that they were now traveling away from it. Koushiro offered to return the nymph to his home, but the cloaked man had refused, saying that Koushiro needed his help.

Koushiro wasn't sure how much help the nymph would be, but when they reached King Yamato's castle, it became apparent. Each time they crossed the path of a guard, Daisuke blew a bit of pink dust into the guard's face, then leaned to speak something into their ear. After the whispering was done, the guard would rush off quickly.

"What are you saying to them?" Koushiro asked.

"Trade secret." Daisuke replied truthfully. It would never do to let Koushiro know that the dust was an aphrodisiac and that he had sent each guard to their bed on the hope that the nymph would arrive shortly to warm it.

They continued moving through the palace, Daisuke halting his pattern of secret seduction only once to determine the whereabouts of King Yamato.

They quietly opened the chamber's doors to an interesting sight.

Koushiro and Daisuke stared at the people -- undoubtedly, King Yamato and Prince Taichi -- entwined on the floor. "Wh-what are they doing?" Koushiro whispered, his face flushed.

The shorter man raised an enigmatic eyebrow. His plan was working perfectly... Although the two tussling were still fully clothed, Daisuke's special insight into their hearts let him see their near future. He answered Koushiro with a smile. "I would venture to say that they're making love, not war."

  
  


TBC...

  
  



	4. Parle Vu la Truth?

**Disclaimer:**

Don't own it.

  
  


**Warnings:**

(1) There will be no lemon. Rating will stay at PG-13. (2) Having studied only Spanish and Japanese, my French in the chapter title is downright rotten. In this instance, I'd rather _not_ be corrected, as I won't be using it ever again. ^_^ (3) And, since I warned people over in DM, but not here: I write s-l-o-w-l-y. Not sure when the next part will be out, but I will finish eventually.

  
  


**Author's Notes:**

_(The fourth chapter of Dark Masquerade is about 50% done. It, too, will be coming slowly. Hopefully within the next month. ^^;;; The boys aren't behaving.)_

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, poked, and prodded. ^_^ This chappie's for you! Enjoy!

  
  


**Captive Complications**

**by Ice'is Blue**

  
  


**4. Parle Vu la Truth?**

  
  


The brunet didn't waste any time while Yamato lay stunned on the ground. Though his hands were bound securely behind his back, he straddled the prone King and began to pound Yamato with the one part of his anatomy he could control: his shoulder.

Yamato, for his part, could have escaped easily from Taichi's movements once the blonde had caught his breath, but he chose not to. The pounding, with all of Taichi's rocking back and forth, was much more pleasurable to the lower half of his body than it was uncomfortable to his upper half. Yamato began to arch his hips for more of that delicious contact. Taichi, whether or not he noticed the added effect of his actions, continued at a determined pace.

Involved with each other as they were, neither noticed that they had an audience until a cough sounded -- loudly.

Taichi looked up in mid-whomp and saw Sir Koushiro. The man's face was bright red and his eyes were opened wide in shock. Next to him stood an odd youth with delicate features garbed in a green cloak. The tips of his ears, nearly lost in the wild tangle of his hair, were pointed. A nymph. A smirking nymph who was also looking like he was privy to a private joke. Taichi shoved against the King once more for good measure, then let his arms relax and he rested himself on the yielding softness beneath him. Now comfortable, he turned his head and prepared himself for a period of extended glaring.

As time ticked on and still no words had been spoken, Koushiro's eyes and the nymph's smirk grew wider.

"Do you have a problem?" he ground out. He'd never seen a man's face that exact shade of red before.

The knight gulped. "Uh... um, Your Highness... wha-what are you d-doing?" he stammered, forgetting entirely why he was here.

King Yamato squirmed beneath the Prince's weight and Taichi gave him another shove before glaring at the two men he supposed were here to 'rescue' him. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm bludgeoning him to unconsciousness with my shoulder!"

The nymph opened his mouth to comment that it _looked_ like Taichi was energetically pressing himself against the blonde beneath him and quickly drawing away in an imitation of sex, but he was cut off by another of Taichi's glares and a sharp elbow from Koushiro.

"Whoever you are, _don't_ answer that," the Prince ordered. "Especially if you're going to say what I think you're going to say."

The nymph shrugged amicably and politely offered to help Taichi to his feet. Taichi glared at him again, snapping his teeth at the fingers when they got too close. He took a long disgruntled look at Koushiro's extended arm, then huffed and got to his feet under his own power... a process that took several minutes and much cursing.

"Let's go," he said, pretending to ignore the smile on the face of the blond he had been trying to beat into submission. But as he began walking away, a firm tug at the hem of his dress threatened to either trip him or tear the fabric loose. Not liking either situation, he turned and set his glare on the one person who actually deserved it.

King Yamato stood up and dusted himself off, wincing only slightly when the muscles in his chest protested the movement. "I'm afraid that's not an option," he said, shaking his head. "I set out to kidnap Hikari with a reason. The fact that I have to deal with you instead, changes little."

Taichi cocked his head to the side. "There's three of us and one of you."

"And I have but to utter one word and my guards will come and restrain you all," Yamato said evenly, not bothering not mention that he could just as easily order the guards to do something less pleasant than binding them with strong rope.

Brown eyes clashed with blue, neither man speaking.

Koushiro cleared his throat and both warring gazes fell upon him. "I have been authorized by King Yagami to negotiate for the return of his heir." Now that the Prince was no longer on top of King Yamato, Koushiro was able to think properly, or so the knight hoped. "To be blunt, King Yamato, you obviously expect to gain something. Let's behave like civilized adults and state plainly what it is that we're after. Problems are always easier to solve when people are direct about what they want."

Reluctantly, the King nodded. "I was told by --" Yamato saw the wisdom in the knight's words, but speaking the plain truth was just too embarrassing. "I was told that if I could make the forest called 'Lover's Glen' part of my lands, I would... prosper." By finding his true love. He was crazy for believing the old fortune teller, but the old man had been so accurate in predicting the loves of first the villagers and then the courtiers that he dared not dismiss the bearded man's foreseeing.

Koushiro was about to reply that one forest out of many seemed a welcome and opportune trade, for the forest in question lay just inside the border. It was just a matter of redrawing the line on the maps. King Yamato was equally loved as King Yagami and he doubted the inhabitants of the area would protest. But before he could accept the trade, the Prince growled.

"You're never going to get it. My mother, not to mention my father, is very fond of that place. They vacation in the neighboring town frequently." Prince Taichi was in no mood to cater to his kidnapper's wishes. He couldn't stop the thought that the King was cute when he was pissed from flashing through his mind. He diverted his mind away from the other's blue flashing eyes by working on his special frown/glare combination.

Koushiro looked helplessly between the two angry men. Focusing on the Prince, since he knew him best, he said, "Please try to be reasonable, Your Highness. Your father does not want to go to war."

Irritated by Taichi's outright refusal, King Yamato scoffed, "Only an idiot would tell a hulking oaf wearing a pink ballgown to be reasonable."

"Hey!" Taichi and Koushiro snapped in unison. Then the knight's eyes tracked over his Prince's attire. 

"Why _are_ you dressed like that?"

"Yes, I'd be delighted to know the reason, or lack-thereof, behind that stunning ensemble," the King chipped in cuttingly.

Taichi found himself sputtering. He didn't want to admit that he had followed an anonymous note that had said that the curse he had been under since birth could be broken if he put on a dress and waited in his sister's bedroom. He also fervently prayed that no one would think to ask _where_ he had gotten the dress. Both men were waiting for an answer. He gnashed his teeth angrily, unable to find an explanation that was anything less than ridiculously silly. And the damn bastards just smirked at his silence.

The only person he wasn't furious with was the nymph... who should have been smirking too. But the creature, face drawn and deathly pale, made a pained moan and collapsed.

Koushiro knelt beside his companion, feeling for a pulse, and breathed a sigh of relief when he found one. A shaky hand reached up to grab at the fabric of his shirt.

"I've been away too long," the nymph said in a pained whisper. "I thought I could --" His eyes rolled back and he tried to regain focus. "You must take me to my home in Lover's Glen, or you won't be enjoying my pretty face for much longer. Your questions..." The strained grin faded and he made the effort to look at each of them in turn, "... all of them, will be answered there. Take me... HOME..."

Eyes closing, the nymph went limp and, no matter what they did, could not be roused.

Yamato, having the authority of Kingship, was the one to say it: "Well, now what?" By rights, he should have demanded action rather than soliciting suggestions, but he had his own reasons for agreeing to help the nymph and he preferred to keep them hidden for the time being.

Taichi was in a foul enough mood to not care about the loss of a wood nymph, but he was alert enough to notice the hint of worry in the knight's eyes and the subtle caress given to the unnaturally white cheek. Glad that the man had finally stopped pining constantly over his sister and himself, he gave King Yamato a harsh look. "We take him."

Koushiro nodded his agreement and his eyes fell to Yamato. If the King decided to lock them up, the nymph would die. Koushiro didn't want that to happen and the strength of the feeling surprised him. He opened his mouth to demand the King's cooperation, prepared to site the knowledge that could be gained from the fabled creature, but his Prince beat him to it.

"Yamato? We'll go together. I don't want a war and I suspect neither do you, but I vow to return with you if an agreement cannot be reached at the Glen."

The King's heart sped up. The glint in the brown eyes was honesty... and that meant that he had a chance. But to leave the palace? Surely, it would be quicker to move with just the four of them. More men would slow them down. It was irresponsible, but for what was foreseen and promised to him, he would gladly take the chance. "I have questions I want answered," he said slowly, knowing that a wrong answer on his part might provoke violence. Taichi seemed to be just as concerned about the nymph as he was his love-struck knight. "We will take him. Together." The knight's face brightened and he turned to his Prince joyfully. Taichi favored him with a small smile. 

There was a sweeter side to the Prince mixed in with the tart. Perhaps Yamato would find his true love in the forest of Lover's Glen after all. 

But already, Taichi was moving away and Yamato took the opportunity to admire the view. "And maybe I'll take you, too," he murmured under his breath.

  
  


TBC...

  
  
  
  



	5. Yamato's Guessing Game

**Disclaimer:**

Nope. Not mine. 

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**Warnings:**

I write slowly, but I will finish eventually. 

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**Author's Notes:**

Well... it's certainly been a while. This story hasn't been updated since August of '03, and already it's May of '05. Good news is, I have chapters 5-9 ready to post. I'll put up one per week... and hopefully the delay will give me time to get the next parts done so I can continue with the weekly updates for this fic. 

For those of you who are also interested in _Dark Masquerade_, the wait will be a bit longer, I'm afraid. I've been going through a very difficult time with my father's health (see my LiveJournal for more details) and it's affected my concentration. DM5: Revealing is mostly done, but needs a re-haul to fix a major problem before it's postable. Work has begun on DM6... but all of the writing was done ages ago. At present, my brain's only working with the funny, but I'll get back on the DM horse sooner or later. 

Thank you for your patience on both fics. Enjoy! 

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**Captive Complications**

**by Ice'is Blue**

****

**5. Yamato's Guessing Game**

In less than twenty minutes after the nymph's collapse, Sir Koushiro was leading a large entourage in the direction of the nymph's home. His horse was in the lead, closely followed by King Yamato and Taichi. The Prince was not riding in the King's lap, much to the King's displeasure. Taichi still wore the pink dress, much to the Prince's displeasure. It was a win/win situation, really. 

Trailing far enough behind them that spoken words were lost in the din of hoofbeats, was the King's Master of the Guards and ten of his best men. Yamato tolerated their presence with the grace of a man who knew he would be Mother-henned to death otherwise. Taichi had loudly protested anyone else seeing him in his current state of dress, and as the King was now riding on his left, he was restricting his gaze to the forward and right-looking directions. Koushiro, feeling like the only reasonable person there, paid the guards little attention beyond his initial examination. They couldn't be all that great, in his thinking. After listening to their unprofessional gossip, he had concluded that these were the same men who had accompanied the Master on the elite mission to capture the Princess. Judging by how well _that_ little endeavor had turned out, the disordered group were more useful as the King's armed wardrobe consultants than actual fighters. 

Each man rode a horse, and for every horse, a mule was tied into a packstring, bearing overstuffed, but seemingly well-balanced bundles. Or, at least that horse:mule ratio held true until Taichi had identified the poles and making of a summer pavilion and had insisted upon shelter and had refused to share with Yamato. The King had been about to protest loudly and with enthusiasm when his Master of the Guard smoothly appropriated the discussion by stating the King would be safer sleeping alone. And that had been that after another four mules were added with the supplies for a second pavilion. 

The guards were armed with short swords, but only two wore quivers and bows and no man carried a spear or a hunting falcon. The brevity of their defense pleased Yamato, having grown up smothered by those wishing to protect the heir to the throne. Koushiro, as a knight, quietly disapproved of the Master of the Guard's lack of security measures, but Yamato wasn't _his_ King, and no one was asking his opinion. 

Of similar, but less potentially dangerous ridiculousness, was Koushiro's observation that the baggage being hauled by the men consisted mainly of clothes. Aside from what were obviously parts of the two pavilions, the majority of the sacks remaining were oddly lumpy and bits of garishly colored cloth poked through the drawstrings beneath the flapped lids. He would have thought kings had better taste. Apparently not, judging from what had to be pieces of King Yamato's wardrobe. Koushiro glanced back at the two royals, at Prince Taichi in his disturbingly pink ballgown. At least with each other they were in good unfashionable company. 

The whole journey would have seemed rather laughable to the knight, had it not been for the deathly pale nymph resting against him. Mid-morning swiftly yielded to late afternoon and finally, with their journey almost halfway completed, encroaching darkness forced them to set up camp. All three were in a foul mood. King Yamato had grown snappish, frustrated by the multiple times the Prince had ignored his attempts at making conversation. He was just trying to be friendly, after all, and the constant rejection began to hurt after a point. Prince Taichi was in an equally troubled state, because while one part of him welcomed the distraction the King's attentions provided, another part of him could not forget that he was ultimately being held against his will. No amount of kindness on Yamato's part could change that. A prisoner was a prisoner, not some sort of amusing companion. So, he remained silent in the face of the King's diminishing cheerfulness. Koushiro, too, remained quiet. The nymph's condition fractionally improved the closer they came to the Glen, but he still seemed so very fragile. 

There was a swift debate over whether they were even going to stop for the night, but it ended quickly when King Yamato declared that he would lose no horses or riders due to a misstep in the dark. The Knight, despite knowing the wisdom of the words, had been ready to argue for him continuing on alone, but the Prince assured him that they'd wake before dawn and would be ready to travel at first light. Prince Taichi glared at King Yamato, daring him to challenge his words, but the blond man merely nodded and relayed the orders to his men. Caught off-guard by the King's kind understanding, Taichi's approval of Yamato increased a few points. The night, however, was spent in near silence, with the King in one guarded pavilion and the Prince and Knight in another, and all three worried about the nymph's condition. 

The next morning, after camp had been broken and they'd been traveling for some time, Yamato cleared his throat in preparation for his twenty-third attempt at making conversation. Yamato was the only one keeping count as Taichi was ignoring him completely. Or at least trying to. Yamato continued, though, knowing Taichi would respond eventually. Taichi knew it too. That was the downfall of having a very active personality -- it made any sort of quiet sulking nearly impossible to maintain. It was only a matter of time before Taichi's stonewall refusal to acknowledge the King cracked. 

"So, are you going to fill me in on why you're wearing a dress?" 

Taichi didn't even bother turning his head. 

"No? Okay. I can guess. You like looking pretty?" 

Taichi imagined a blank wall separating him from the irritating King. If he could occupy his mind, maybe he wouldn't feel the need to respond to the man's persistent overtures. 

Yamato continued guessing. "You had the urge to wear pink and that dress was the only thing you could find?" 

Blank wall. Smooth gray stone, a few chinks here and there, patched with mortar. 

"You lost a bet with your sister and had to play dress-up?" 

Okay, so maybe even Taichi's _horse_ was rolling its eyes at that one, even if Taichi wasn't quite. In actuality, he'd only made one dress-up wager with Hikari, and that debt had been repaid years ago -- in absolute secrecy. Blank wall. He gave the mortar-chinked wall a vine sprawling up one side... with flowers of the same golden hue as the King's hair. 

Yamato forced himself not to sigh at Taichi's persistent silence. He continued teasing, thinking that a bit of vinegar might do the trick where polite conversation wasn't achieving the desired result. "You have some sort of uncomfortable medical disorder that I don't want to think of and dresses are the easiest garments to wear?" 

Taichi nearly grimaced at the imagined condition. Yamato saw a twitch that might have been a scowl and grinned. 

"No? All right. I know: you're secretly in love with me, and through crafty ways you uncovered my plans to kidnap your sister, and substituted yourself in her place so you could spend more time with me." 

Taichi turned his head forty-five degrees, glared, then resumed staring at the passing terrain. The wall he'd been holding in his mind developed a door. An observation window slid open in the wood and Yamato's triumphant face waggled his eyebrows suggestively at Taichi from the other side of the door. Taichi snarled and kicked at the wall. The mental structure, not an entity to take abuse, cheerfully disintegrated, and left the Prince alone with no barrier against his desire for the King. 

Yamato recognized the Prince's expression as a win for himself and smirked. Having a non-conversation had never been so fun. "Hmm. Close with that, was I?" 

"No," Taichi answered in a clipped tone. 

"Sure. Whatever you say. One last guess and I'll leave off." 

They traveled on and Yamato let the silence spin out between them. It was a net carefully designed to bring the taciturn man even closer. Yamato was patient, Taichi was not. 

"So are you going to guess, or what?" he asked in a carefully bored voice without turning his head. 

Yamato had been saving this one, waiting for the opportunity to find out if the Prince's heart was already taken. "For my final guess..." He pretended to think hard. "You're... madly in love with a woman but the only way her father will let you two be together is if you're dressed as a female?" 

Taichi snorted. "Hardly." 

"Hmmm... but that's a good topic, though. Why _aren't_ you married or betrothed already?" 

Taichi turned again to glare. "I thought you were going to leave off?" 

Yamato smiled benignly. "That was the bargain for the old question. This is a completely different one. Feel free to answer, thus escaping without suffering my guesses. You're young, devilishly attractive, with everything to offer. So, why isn't a young maiden fluttering by your side?" 

The good humor that had been building in Taichi fled with unexpected severity. He might find the King attractive, but that didn't mean he had to respond civilly to someone who thought he could keep another human being as a bargaining chip. And he certainly didn't need a man of questionable morals digging into his private life... or lack thereof. To top it all off, the jerk probably already knew why, and was amusing himself by putting Taichi through the hell of admitting his condition. "Well, why aren't _you_ married? How about _you_ answering a few damn questions for a change?" the Prince returned crossly. 

Yamato looked askance at the man riding beside him. Perhaps he'd found a touchy subject. Oh well. "I asked you first." 

Taichi responded to the simple and childish response with blazing eyes. "I'm under a curse! What's _your_ excuse?" 

"I'm gay!" 

If the soldiers riding in the distance heard their King (and surely they must have), they gave no sign. 

Koushiro, riding behind the pair for this portion of the journey, listened to Taichi and the King's banter with barely concealed amusement. After the King's somewhat loud pronouncement of his sexual preferences, the back of Taichi's neck and the tops of his ears cycled through tomato red, cloud white, and finally settled on sunrise pink. Taichi's head was turned away, but the knight was fairly sure the Prince's face was putting on an equally impressive display of color. 

Taichi knew his face was doing odd things that may or may not have been revealing his inner thoughts, but the majority of his intercranial functions were occupied in a dance of joy and panic. Maybe the King wasn't such a bad guy after all. And maybe it was possible the barrage of questions stemmed from a genuine desire to know him better. And all because... The Prince shook his head. There had always been whispers about the young King, but they had all been made with the gossipy air of bored courtesans with nothing better to do than fabricate tales about other people for their own amusement. There was even a rumor floating around that his own condition was merely a cover for his incurable sexual addiction... one forcing him to keep a secret harem that pleasured him the entire time he was away from the court's many eyes. Taichi snorted at the memory. As if that impossible idea even began to remotely explain why he avoided all physical contact with females. 

Yamato coughed to get the Prince's attention, unwilling to let the man's brain overwork itself, spinning out conclusions about the King with no information to correct them. "Do you have a problem with that?" He'd meant for it to sound self-confident, or even arrogant, but it came out quietly and genuinely curious. 

Taichi's brain stopped in mid-thought. "Uh." The King looked even slightly unsure. Taichi smiled softly and looked away. "No, I don't have a problem with it. I always strive to be unhypocritical." 

_Unhypocritical..._ What sort of word was that? King Yamato smiled as he realized what the Prince was saying. Maybe this had a chance of working after all.

TBC... 


	6. Camping, Whee! aka Domestic Damsel

**Disclaimer:**

Don't own it.

**Warnings:**

If the fictional ingestion of batpig coughpatamoncough squicks you, run away now. smirk

**Author's Notes:**

The batpig thing (you'll see)... what can I say? My brain's twisted. However... as there is some minor spoofish correlation between this and DM, I think the batpig's fate is carryover karma. (Not that Patamon's shown up in DM. Yet. winks)

Enjoy!

**Captive Complications**

**by Ice'is Blue**

**6. Camping, Whee! a.k.a. Domestic Damsel**

Although it was still light when the group finally reached the Glen, the sun had already dipped below the horizon. The three were in a foul mood. Yamato was irritated that his guards had now drawn closer to him, Taichi was frustrated by Yamato's continuing idle conversations that weren't as unpleasant as they should have been, and Koushiro was jitteringly worried about the nymph.

Under the knight's recommendation and Yamato's agreement, they set out for the largest tree in the forest. Unless the nymph woke up, they'd have no way of knowing which was his, but perhaps an ancient tree or its keeper could lend its aid instead. The King's guards drew steadily closer as they moved deeper into the forest. The tree they'd decided on wasn't set prohibitively deep, but grumbles about wild beasts kept all the guardsmen on edge.

"This forest is sacred," Yamato reminded them. "Attack nothing that does not attack us first. We don't wish to call down the wrath of the gods."

More grumbling met this order, but when a blue wolf emerged from the brush, the men obeyed Yamato's curt, "Hold!"

The wolf eyed them from the far side of a clearing. It was blocking their intended path. King Yamato dismounted, then took a step closer to the wolf, seeing if it would move. It did move, darting from the path it hindered to a break in the bushes and back again. The wolf repeated the dance, then returned to its blocking position where it wagged its tail exactly once.

Taichi's horse had become skittish in the close proximity to the predator, so he too dismounted. "I'll check it out," he told Yamato.

"Your Highness, the prisoner should--" one of the guards began to entreat, but the King cut him off.

"Let him go." Yamato nodded at Taichi, who had paused and looked back at the protest. "Be careful."

The Prince raised his chin in acknowledgment, then continued. He disappeared from sight for a few moments, then his voice called back loudly. "There's another path here! Think maybe the wolf wants us to go this way?"

Koushiro's eyes narrowed in thought. "It is entirely conceivable that this forest has guardians. The main question is are they here to help or to hinder us. Taichi, you should return to the group until we are able to decide which course of action to take." 

Yamato, fascinated by the wolf, kept focused on the creature throughout the knight's speech. The wolf was now tense, hackles raised, and looking in the direction Prince Taichi had left. Yamato didn't think it would attack, but still... "I agree, Taichi. Stick by us. It's safer."

"No, not yet. I really think there's something... AAHHH! BATPIG!!!"

Yamato would have laughed at Taichi squealing like a girl, had not his heart been in his throat and blocking all sound. Taichi shot out of the bushes closely followed by a orangish-brown swine-shaped blur much larger than he was and both of them were followed by a smaller golden blur. The wolf sprang into motion too, heading for the motley chase, but if the wolf intended to protect Taichi, even with its speed, it would be too late. The large creature was almost upon the Prince when the little golden thing skidded to a halt and let out an enormous fireball. Feeling the heat at his back, Taichi hit the ground in a roll that carried him all the way to Yamato's feet.

Now still, the golden blur was easily identifiable as a firedrake. None of the humans present had ever seen the smaller cousin to dragons. But the drake didn't realize that it was supposed to be only a myth, taking more interest in the twitching mass. A snout, hooves, and small leathery wings were all that remained visible through the blaze surrounding the carcass of the attacking beast. The wolf, which had backpedaled at the last moment to escape being burned, approached the fire with bared teeth and growled. The drake observed this behavior with one eye, then ambled over to the wolf's side. The two touched noses, snorted, and then the drake resumed its casual gait into the gap in the bushes from which it came. 

The wolf drew closer, effectively separating the King's group from his guards, and seemed to want to be herding them to the gap as well. Yamato motioned for the two guards to aim their bows away from the wolf. He drew the sword at his hip, then fetched another from his saddlebag and handed it to Taichi. "Shall we try that again?" he asked the surprised Prince.

Taichi grinned at the challenge and swung the sword experimentally. It had excellent balance. He expected nothing less in quality from the King, but he was pleased he was being trusted with a weapon. It was a luxury few prisoners were allowed. Actually, it was a luxury _no_ prisoners were allowed. "Let's go. I'm thirsty and there's a stream up there. I could hear it."

"Your Highness," one of the guards began, but the Master stopped him.

"If the King wants to trust his safety to wild animals and a little boy with a sword, then we have no place in arguing. We make camp here. This beast will provide us with a fine dinner. Get to work!"

Yamato didn't know whether to be annoyed or grateful for the lack of an escort, but he followed Taichi without another word. Koushiro was planning on staying near the rest of the group, protecting the nymph, but the wolf came closer and his horse spooked and ran after the two royals into the undergrowth.

After a short distance, Taichi met the drake at the bank of the stream. The creature backed up so that the Prince could approach the water, then it edged away to the perimeter, the water's close proximity seemingly making it nervous. Yamato quickly joined him, sheathing his sword, but a moment later the quiet moment was broken by the knight's wail and his bolting horse. Thankfully, when the horse dug in its heels at the edge of the bank, Koushiro was an experienced (or lucky) enough rider to keep his hold on both his seat and the slumbering nymph. The equine, faced with fresh water after a long journey, forgot its terror and began to drink. The knight heaved a tired sigh, then handed the nymph down into the King's waiting arms. Koushiro, however, had some difficulty in regaining solid ground.

The Prince had been expecting some sort of disaster and had just enough time to toss down his sword and catch the clumsy knight before he broke open his head on the ground. He set the knight down on his feet and let him cling to his arm until the shaking stopped. "Maybe you'll get it right next time, eh?" Koushiro gave him a chagrined smile and rolled his eyes at the overly optimistic statement.

The King, though his arms easily supported the nymph's weight, was searching the ground for a suitable place to put him. But there, near the bank... "It looks like a fire pit," he said, motioning with his toe.

Taichi bent and felt the charcoal remains. "It's cold now, but there's enough residue here to suggest it's used regularly." He flicked a glance at the wolf and firedrake that hovered at the edge of the smaller clearing. "If these beasties want to protect us, I think we can assume it's safe to build a fire here. If the owner returns, we can just apologize and share."

Before Yamato could nod agreement, a cry too high-pitched even for a bird's voice drew their attention to a large tree nearby. Something blue and glittering flashed in the leaves despite the darkness. The tree's roots formed a cozy-looking hollow. "Or maybe this place actually is the nymph's home?" Koushiro wondered aloud. "Here's as good as any, I guess," he said.

The King gave one last cautious look up into the branches overhead, and then another at the wolf whose hackles were down, and placed the nymph gently in a living nest of fern fronds that grew in the natural hollow. The knight, expectedly, rushed forward and began checking the nymph's condition. Knowing he wasn't needed further, Yamato turned and saw that Taichi had reclaimed his sword. "Like it?"

"Yeah. But it should be sheathed now, I don't think we'll be needing it. Not with them and those buffoons around," he said, angling his head first at the wolf and firedrake, then back at the clearing holding the guards.

Yamato smiled. "There's no way those pavilions will fit in this space and pavilion or not, the nymph seems to be improving. Let's get our supplies from the packs and set up our own camp here. With a fire going, the night should be warm enough."

Taichi nodded his accord, and after a brief argument with the Master of the Guard, they returned with their packs, tinder, and a striker. Upon returning to the small encampment, a fire was blazing. The blue wolf was nowhere in sight, but the firedrake lingered in sight for a brief moment before disappearing into the undergrowth. Taichi chuckled. "Little guy comes in handy, doesn't he?"

Yamato smiled, then made a shushing noise, nudging Taichi in the side and nodding his head over at the knight and nymph. Koushiro was fast asleep with Daisuke cradled in his arms. Without speaking, Yamato unpacked the knight's supplies while Taichi led the horse back to the rest to be groomed, fed, and bedded down. The Prince returned with a largeish pot and a juicy hunk of the beast that had been chasing him.

The King surveyed the items the Prince had returned with. "You know, that pot's more dent than pot," he said, referring to the lumpy metal object.

Taichi shrugged. "It doesn't have a hole in it. It's a pot. And _this_," he said, brandishing a juicy hunk of the beast that had been chasing him, "This is dinner. Now, in Koushiro's bag, we should be able to find some tubers and dried herbs."

Yamato handed him the requested items, then watched with a smile as the Prince prepared a stew. He wanted to say that Taichi looked incredibly domestic cooking in his ballgown, but he knew he'd end up suffering the guards' food if he said a word. Instead, when Taichi realized he was being stared at, Yamato recovered with a soft 'thank you.'

The Prince, who'd been expecting a smart comment, blinked at the quiet gratitude and then offered a small smile of his own. "It needs to cook for a while, for the ingredients to soften. The love-birds can sleep until dinner and since it's my first time in an enchanted forest, we can go for a walk and see the sights."

King Yamato discretely snagged a pack that contained a blanket, then trailed behind Taichi who was following the river. Indeed the sights were good.

TBC...


	7. A Hair Raising Experience

**  
Disclaimer:**

Don't own 'em.

**  
Warnings:**

Beware... there's a plot now. Awww... that's a good thing, really. ;;

**  
Author's Notes:**

So as not to spoil some of the amusement, I've moved this chapter's AN's to the end.

Enjoy!

**Captive Complications**

**by Ice'is Blue**

**  
7. A Hair-Raising Experience**

Not too far away from the resting knight and nymph, King Yamato and Prince Taichi halted their walk and hunkered down at the base of another large tree. Since Taichi seemed amiable, Yamato resumed their earlier conversation.

"So, you're under a curse? Don't you have a fairy godmother?"

Taichi winced. The topic wasn't exactly new. "_Yes,_ I have one, sort of. Gennai is my fairy godfather."

Yamato's face lit up. "No kidding? He's supposed to be the most powerful fairy! I can't believe he wasn't able to handle your curse. I mean, my fairy godmother, Mimi, was able to take care of mine... and she's mostly good for only beautification charms." At Taichi's questioning look, he explained further. "My father and the Master of the Guard forgot to include Myotismon in the guest list and Mimi had to rework the curse he placed on me. I'm sure you've noticed my absolutely fabulous hair."

Taichi blinked, unable to follow the jump in topics. However he _had_ noticed that the King's hair was fine, shiny, and the perfect shade of gold. And, knowing for a fact that Yamato hadn't taken a moment to redo it, Taichi had to be impressed that it was still immaculately styled after all the traveling and wind. Would it feel as soft as he imagined if he were to run his fingers through it?

As Taichi was now firmly entranced, it was lucky that Yamato didn't wait for the Prince to answer. "See this?" Yamato asked, holding out a strand of the hair. "It was supposed to be snakes. They were supposed to bite me and cause my death."

Taichi shuddered. "Hate snakes," he muttered under his breath.

Yamato mostly agreed with him, but snakes had their uses. "Anyway, Mimi changed the curse so that instead, my hair turned to gold... more or less." He plucked out a single hair. "This is enough gold to buy fifty acres of land. But..." He started to drop the hair. Before the strand could fall, it reversed in motion and wrapped itself in a spiral around the King's finger. "It doesn't like to be separated from me."

Taichi stepped forward, fascinated. "It's alive?"

"You could say that." Yamato savored the moment as Taichi came voluntarily closer in a manner that didn't involve the threat of bodily harm. The King guided the Prince's hand to his own, and let him stroke along the detached hair. "As you can imagine, there's not much room in a metal for a brain, so it's incredibly stupid. But it has enough sentience to know its own self and to obey me. Comes in handy, too. Watch this." He used his free hand to pat himself on the head. "All the way up."

The golden locks immediately sprang out, making the King look as if he'd been struck by lightning.

Taichi grinned. "Well, if that's all it can do, I'm not impressed anymore," he said, obviously pretending his disinterest.

"This is nothing. You'll like this one better." He patted his head again. "Mr. Suave." The hair flattened instantly into a very sleek coiffeur.

"Wow. Nice," the Prince said admiringly. "How does it make itself look like there's jelly in there?"

"Because there actually is. There's enough residual magic to let the hair fabricate exactly what it needs to achieve the look. It can grow too." He patted his head again. "Loose, a hand-span below the shoulder." The strands sprouted to the commanded length. "It can clean itself too." As Taichi's eyes widened, Yamato smirked. "Without water."

"Wow," Taichi said, knowing he was repeating himself and knowing that the way he was staring at Yamato was dangerous, considering the King's preference for males. Of course, Taichi prided himself on his courage and liked a bit of danger. He raised a hand and ran it through the flowing hair. It _was_ as soft as he'd imagined. Softer, even.

Suddenly, Taichi's other hand was moving and Yamato's lips pressed against the top in a kiss. The Prince blushed. "C-can I have my hand back, please?" Yamato didn't let go.

"You've let me hold it this long, I thought you wouldn't mind if I kept it a bit longer."

"I--" Taichi liked the King. He wouldn't mind getting to know him better... but he had the uncomfortable suspicion that Yamato wanted something more... something he wasn't even sure he could give. "I--"

"It's all right," Yamato soothed, smoothly drawing away. "Look. It likes you." Wrapped around Taichi's hand was the strand of hair, now the same length as the rest. "I guess the hair doesn't fall far from the head."

Taichi blinked, willing to smile, but he couldn't figure out if the King's comment was an insult or not.

"I like you too." Yamato elaborated.

Taichi rubbed his thumb along the strand of hair encircling his finger like a ring. Yamato liked him. What was that supposed to mean? And did the King still consider him a captive?

King Yamato noticed that Taichi didn't exactly look thrilled by his announcement. "Taichi?"

The Prince turned away, looking even more unhappy.

Yamato gnawed on his lip. He knew he could salvage the situation, but it would cost him his pride. But given the benefit... He glanced around to make sure the knight and his nymph were still occupied and that his guards were still feigning industriousness in setting up the pavilions. He nudged Taichi in the side. "Hey. I haven't showed you all my tricks yet."

"No?" Taichi asked, but he wasn't all that interested. He'd seen the King glance over at his soldiers... would Yamato try to force him? But then there was a soft, melting look in Yamato's eyes.

Yamato almost blushed, but he knew it would be worth it. He patted his head again. "Pigtails. Sapphire ties." The hair sprang into position and two jeweled bands appeared around the tails.

Jolted out of his funk by the ridiculous sight, Taichi burst out laughing. It was impossible to feel threatened by someone looking so adorable. "Do you wear your hair like this often?" he teased.

Yamato smiled at him. "No, only for special occasions."

"I qualify as special," the Prince said, wanting to confirm.

"Definitely."

"And your regular style?"

Yamato patted his head. "Devastatingly sexxy."

The hair returned to how Taichi was used to seeing it. Apparently semi-sentient hair was capable of making aesthetic judgement calls. "How did you train it to respond to that?"

Yamato put his finger to his lips and winked. "Trade secret."

Taichi chuckled and resettled himself against the tree trunk. Yamato seemed to be going out of his way to make him feel comfortable and the Prince was content to let them await the nymph's awakening in an easy silence.

The King had different plans, however. Now that Taichi was relaxed, he could further probe the peculiarities of the Prince's curse. He kept his tone quiet and lazy. "So, what about you? If Mimi fixed mine to benefit me, why is your situation so difficult? What type of curse is it?"

"You really haven't heard? I would've thought the story had spread at least as far as your kingdom by now."

Yamato held up a hand as if making a vow. "I didn't even know you were cursed until you mentioned it today."

The brunet sighed. He still would rather have just stayed silent or taken a nap, but he knew Yamato wasn't the type to give up easily. It might be interesting to tell the story to someone who didn't already know the most intimate details of his life. He sighed again, but this time, it was against an old, heart-aching pain.

"I guess the first thing to say is that it _wasn't_ my parents' fault. I was firstborn, like you, and they were absolutely paranoid about an evil fairy casting a spell on me, so they were extraordinarily cautious. Both Myotismon and Piedmon were invited and they were in the best of spirits when they arrived. The Royal Protocol Master sat them next to each other and after they each drank about ten bottles of our best reserve, they wandered a very inebriated line out the door, and didn't even bother to show up for Hikari's ceremony even though they were invited."

"So who cursed you?"

"Nobody knows. It happened after the party, my parents have told me. They were opening up the gifts sent for my naming ceremony and when my father opened the lid on a carved chest, a purple cloud floated out, hovered over my cradle, then settled in a fog so thick they couldn't see me. Mother rushed over, but she couldn't get to me. A voice boomed out, saying, 'He cannot know the touch of a woman until first he has known a lover. If this rule is broken, he will remain a swan forever.' Well, as you can imagine, my mother started crying and pulled me out of the cradle since the purple fog had disappeared. Of course, I turned into a swan and she started screaming. My father called for Gennai, but there was nothing he could do except change the time spent as a swan to three days for each careless touch. I remember Mom was always sad until Hikari was born..."

Yamato listened patiently until Taichi's voice trailed off. "That's all your fairy godfather could do?" he prompted gently.

"He said the curse was too powerful."

Something sounded off to Yamato. "But Gennai supposedly _is_ the most powerful. Wouldn't the fairies have noticed another powerful renegade? Did you ask anyone else to help?"

Taichi stared at the ground. "Yeah, you'd think... but no. And we did ask other good fairies for help, but they all agreed that the curse was too powerful... said that maybe even more than one fairy was involved in its creation. And I've still got no clue why. But..." he flashed a grin, "my life isn't so horrible. There are ways around it. It only took me four years to figure out that I could safely use a soft stick to bop my sister on the head when she was being a pain." He missed not being able to hug his mother and sister, but he could live with everything else.

Yamato was fairly sure that Taichi hadn't found creative ways to enjoy a female's company, but he decided to bring it up obliquely anyways. "But I guess it's been pretty frustrating for you in other matters?"

It took a moment for Taichi to catch the meaning, but once he did, he slowly gave Yamato a once-over to let him know that he _was_ interested, since the King was pathetically trying to figure it out. The blond still was going faster than Taichi liked, though. "I manage myself just fine," he said, staring into Yamato's eyes with the intent to make him uncomfortable.

Yamato had to break the eye contact, cursing his pale skin as he felt his cheeks flush. Normally he'd be able to control a situation like this, but Taichi, refusing to back down, was proving to be a challenge. He fought the blush back with a smile. The greater the effort, the richer the reward. Keeping in mind that fortune favored the brave, he decided to take it one step further before calling this portion of the dance to an end. He made himself comfortable, then tried to tug Taichi closer.

The Prince, naturally, resisted the King's urgings. He wasn't Yamato's property. He couldn't give in every time the older man thought he could get away with something. He glared in disapproval.

The King looked chastened. "If we're to rest, I just wanted you to be comfortable. The pavilions are up. We could go there if you like."

Taichi was fully prepared to shoot the man down again, but he noticed the soft, melting eyes that were just like the ones he'd seen before the King had put his hair up in pigtails.

"Let me get this straight -- you want me in your arms purely for my own comfort?" He waited until Yamato nodded, eyes sparkling. "So this would be just fine, then, right?" He stretched out on the ground and rested his head in the King's lap.

Yamato laughed and his shaking body jounced Taichi's head. Gently, he tugged the Prince up and directed the brown head to his shoulder before wrapping an arm around his waist. "That's all right, but this is better." His hand found Taichi's and stroked the finger that had his hair curled around it. Somehow it had stayed at a length long enough to still do so. He continued the soothing touches, expecting the Prince to pull away any second, but he never did. "So this is okay, then?" he asked quietly.

Feeling that odd heartache, Taichi let himself be settled against the King like a favorite ragdoll. He was too tired to fight or worry, really. That was it -- just easier to go along and rest. He was simply taking the path of least resistance. Just doing what he had to do. Anything to keep feeling this comfortable. And the King _did_ have a nicely soft shoulder. He had to be wearing shoulder pads... because the rest of him... looked so... skinny... and... people... like... usually...

Yamato smiled softly when Taichi never responded and later, when he felt the man's breathing slow and even out, he allowed himself a silent chuckle. It had been a long day for him, and he supposed Taichi, being kidnaped and all, had been even more rightfully tired. In the distance, the men had the two pavilions erected, but he motioned them back and to stay with his free hand when they saw him looking their way. By the river, the knight was still standing a worried guard over the nymph.

With nothing more that he could do, Yamato lowered his head until it lightly rested atop Taichi's mass of untamable hair. He breathed the Prince's scent deeply a few times, then let himself drift off to sleep.

TBC...

* * *

**On the word-usage:** I don't particularly advocate jelly to be used as a hair-styling product, but in a quasi-medieval setting, I figured that because they had recipes like jellied eels, they could produce some sort of hair-product derived from animal hooves and the like. Gel, however pretty and apt the word, would be anachronistic in this particular setting. 

**Notes:** This chapter's my favorite. And I suppose I do owe a bit of thanks to the poor mother and her two-year-old twin girls I sat across from for three hours in the airport when my flight was delayed. The girls were loud and cranky (complete with temper tantrums), but oh-so adorably cute. And since I have a high tolerance for whining, crying children, we all had a bit of fun. Yamato's hairdo, or at least one of them, is owed to the girls and the majority of the fairytale twists introduced here were thought up in that airport. Worships her new laptop that nurtures 12 hours of traveling creativity. Grrr... what happened to my asterisks? How am I supposed to GLOMP people?


	8. The Joy of Rubbing

**Disclaimer:**

Not mine.

**Warnings:**

_:blinks:_ um... innuendo? _:shrugs:_

**Author's Notes:**

I'm currently working on the tenth chapter. CC9 will be up next week; after that, no promises on updates. But, as life is tentatively going better, the end (CC12 or CC13) should not be too far off.

Enjoy!

**Captive Complications**

**by Ice'is Blue**

**8. The Joy of Rubbing**

All Koushiro had been able to do was rest the nymph against a large tree and hope that the close proximity to his native element would help the creature in some way. He felt a weight lift from his heart when the nymph's condition slowly reversed itself. The first to go was the was the sickly pallor and from there, his vitals improved until it appeared that the slightest touch would wake him. But that wasn't quite true. Koushiro had tried... and failed to wake him from the seemingly easy slumber.

A few hours later he'd gotten up to give his legs a stretch and had wandered over to his Prince and the King. The two were asleep, cradled in each other's arms. It was best that they sleep now, so he spread the blanket more equally over them and returned to Daisuke's side.

He wedged himself against the tree trunk then shifted the nymph into his arms, letting the narrow back rest against his chest. He ran his fingers through the wild mane. At first he did so with the intent to straighten it into some type of order, but he soon abandoned that idea in favor of simply enjoying the way it felt against his skin. When the nymph still didn't wake, he grew bolder in his actions, allowing his hands to include stroking the creature's cheeks and lightly exploring from earlobe to pointed eartip. Three days ago, he never could have imagined himself sitting in a forest glen, rubbing an attractive nymph's ears. If it weren't for his worry, he would gladly do this every day.

"So, I'm wondering why you're not waking up," he said aloud to the small figure cradled in his lap. In the distance, King Yamato's guards had set up the pavilions. He was used to sorting out his troubles aloud when he was alone. If Koushiro kept his voice low, there would be no chance of them overhearing him. "If I consider this logically, I know that your condition improved while you were with the tree. But now it seems as if you've reached a plateau and you need some further form of assistance to return you to your active state." He sighed, stroking along the ridge of the pointed ear. "It would be a considerable shame if you never regained consciousness. Think of all the information lost. You'd never be able to tell me about your kind, or this forest, or which of our other legends are also true."

He brushed against the closed eyelids, down the bridge of the small upturned nose, and twice across petal soft lips. Gently, he lowered the nymph to the ground, then slowly eased himself over the limp body so that sweet breath was washing up into his face, beautifully, deliciously, temptingly close.

"You're not under a spell, I don't think, but in stories... And you... you're... I wonder if..."

Figuring he had nothing to loose, the knight finally kissed the nymph, just as he had wanted to do upon first seeing the enchanting creature. And when the kiss turned less chaste, more passionate, the thrill he received almost took away the sting of having to only _imagine_ being kissed in return. Almost.

The nymph still slept. Koushiro tried to not take it personally, but it was difficult. He had a gnawing suspicion that a kiss from Prince Taichi, or even King Yamato, would have no trouble in waking a fairy-tale creature. By rights, a knight should have been an acceptable substitute, but Koushiro knew that he was a sorry excuse for a knight. All he had was smarts and book-learning. Real knights had valor, and courage, and good looks, and... well, _height_.

Later, when the crescent moon had risen above the treeline and after Koushiro had worked himself up into a completely miserable state, Daisuke's entire body spasmed violently. Before the knight could react with what limited medical training he possessed, the twitching stopped. Silence followed for a few heartbeats, then came a deep, throaty moan ending in a growl.

"Ow. Not so rough, Kitten," the nymph purred. Koushiro froze, not sure to be surprised more by the creature's alertness, or by his first words. Daisuke, meanwhile, was incredibly frustrated. "No," he pleaded. "Don't stop now."

Koushiro blinked in confusion. Was the nymph talking to _him_?

"Your hands," the nymph begged, thrashing back and forth trying to create more friction. "Please don't stop."

The knight looked down at where his body parts in question were braced on the ground to either side of the creature's head. He'd been rubbing Daisuke's _ears_.

"_Please!_"

Feeling his cheeks warm, Koushiro resumed stroking down from the pointed tips, along the outer edges, and lightly tracing the inner whorls, up and back down again.

The nymph's gasps turned ragged and continued that way until he let loose a keening cry that pierced the night and had the knight's cheeks flaming at its eroticism. Now in Koushiro's arms, Daisuke shuddered once, then went bonelessly limp in his grasp.

Before the knight could fully process what had happened, the Master of the Guard appeared with two other men behind him. The man looked over them with a frown. "Is _it_ all right?" he asked, directing the question entirely toward the knight.

Koushiro bit his cheek in anger. "He's fine. Leave us."

The Master raised his eyebrow at the commanding tone, but his lips twitched in a humorless smile and he turned without saying anything further. Rather than following their superior, the two guardsmen advanced. "Watch your mouth, boy. That's no way to talk to the Master. Act like that again and we'll remove your disrespectful tongue for you."

Daisuke gave them a weak glare for threatening his knight. A pinch of pink dust blown into their faces was all it took. "Oh, go snog each other in the bushes. You know you want to."

Koushiro held his tongue as the two turned and stomped back toward the rest of the camped soldiers. At the last minute, they ducked into the overgrowth and disappeared. He looked at the nymph curiously. "How did you do that?"

"Trade secret."

"Again?" The knight sighed, but he didn't push the issue. "Are you feeling better now? I wasn't sure how to help you. I tried putting you by a tree, and then, well, I don't understand what just happened."

"I'm feeling good as new. You did exactly what needed to be done. I _knew_ you were a smart one," Daisuke smiled. "You can go get the Prince and King now. I'm sure they have many questions they want answers for."

Koushiro hesitated. He didn't want to give up his monopoly on the nymph's attention just yet and there were still some questions _he_ wanted answered. "What about the things _I_ want to know. Like..." He raised a hesitant hand to brush against an ear hidden in Daisuke's tangle of curls. The nymph turned into the touch, letting out a low, throaty purr. The knight gulped. "Like that. What am I doing to you?"

The human looked halfway worried, or maybe even halfway scared, so Daisuke chose to take pity on him and not tease him further. He turned his head and pressed a kiss to the knight's hand, then drew away. "The ears are very sensitive parts of a nymph's body -- even more so than what lies between the legs of a human male, although we are highly sensitive there as well."

"You're saying that I was..." Koushiro gulped. He'd been molesting the nymph in his sleep. The urge to apologize was overwhelming, but he fought against it since the impish creature clearly didn't seem to mind in the least. Still, his cheeks felt like they were on fire. "I'll... um... I'll go get the Prince and King Yamato."

Daisuke favored him with what was supposed to be a soothing, reassuring smile. "If you please. I'm sure they're anxious to hear why we're all here." The knight looked only slightly less mortified for the nymph's efforts, but finally nodded and set off deeper into the woods.

TBC...


	9. Country Traditions

**Disclaimer:**

Don't own it.

**Warnings:**

There's going to be a delay in posting chapters from here on out, but I hope to have the entire story up by the end of August.

**Author's Notes:**

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far. I love to get reviews and take much pleasure from reading them.   
_PS: The first _Gravitation_ DVD is being released 06/29/04. Order yours today and rejoice in the shounen ai yummyness._

Enjoy!

**Captive Complications**

**by Ice'is Blue**

**9. Country Traditions**

Koushiro approached the royal pair cautiously, remembering the way they had been locked together before and aware that his poor blood vessels couldn't survive another round of blushes. Unfortunately, still curled together in slumber at the base of an ancient tree with the blanket falling off to one side, the King and the Prince both appeared to be experiencing a highly pleasing dream. At least they were still clothed.

"Your Highness?" the knight called rather loudly, knowing from experience that Taichi would not wake easily. The Prince remained dead to the world. King Yamato, however, gave a soft moan and tightened his arms around Taichi. Koushiro scowled. He didn't want to go back to the nymph without the others, but he didn't relish the task of waking the new-found lovebirds. Maybe he could pour water on them...

Lacking a bucket and unwilling to ask Yamato's guards for one, Koushiro resigned himself to the old-fashioned method. He kicked the Prince on the sole of his shoe. "Wake up, please, Prince Taichi," he said very, very loudly. This earned him a whiney grumble as the Prince twisted and burrowed his face into the King's shirt.

Perhaps he was going about this the wrong way. Koushiro thought for a moment. He couldn't kick King Yamato -- it could very well cost him his life if the King took exception to the rough treatment. Eventually, the knight settled for tugging on the older man's sleeve. "Wake up, Your Highness." Blue eyes blinked open and summarily began glaring. Koushiro spoke before the King could start snarling. "The nymph is awake and he wishes to speak with us all."

King Yamato gave an inelegant grunt to acknowledge the knight. Normally, he didn't mind waking up and all his attendants at the palace envied his cheerful post-sleep demeanor. However, Taichi's weight was pressing pleasurably in his lap and he did not want to let the Prince out of his grip quite yet. Before he could complain though, the knight kicked the Prince for the second time. Taichi jolted in the King's embrace, arms flailing in needless defense. Yamato tightened his grip, planting kisses up the column of Taichi's neck. The younger man went still, but when Yamato loosened his arms, Taichi pushed himself away.

The Prince rubbed a hand along the back of his neck, only to end up wiping extra moisture off on the skirt of his ballgown. He gave Yamato an accusatory glare. The King shrugged and blew him a kiss. Taichi and the knight rolled their eyes. Unperturbed, King Yamato redirected their attention. "The nymph's awake. Let's go hear what he has to say."

Taichi nodded, but dodged the King's arm when the other moved to draw him nearer. The dream he'd been having was making him feel queer in Yamato's company. By the fire, he tried to allow the King to sit first, so that he could sit at a breathable distance... but the older man remained standing and when Taichi finally took a seat, Yamato plopped down right next to him.

Daisuke watched the interaction going on and was pleased. It was only a matter of time until Taichi succumbed to Yamato's advances. He was even happier when the knight, edging away from the pair, found the only other comfortable seating to be directly beside the nymph. Daisuke rubbed his leg flirtatiously against Koushiro's. Politely not smiling when the knight _eep_'ed, he began his tale.

"I know you all must be wondering why we're here. That answer is tightly bound with what I am."

"What you are?"

"Yes. As a nature sprite, I have duties within this sacred forest. These duties, my sworn oath to protect this place, have required me to seek your help. I initially went to your father, Prince Taichi, but he would not listen to me." He looked up at them earnestly. "Action must be taken or the land will fail. Not just this forest here -- that will be just the beginning -- but the fields and crops and gardens for thousands of ells around will slowly wither and produce no new growth. It will affect both your kingdoms, so that is why I have brought the two of you here."

"What is it that you need us to do, and why did my father not help you if it is as serious as you claim?"

"The King dismissed my request as a mere country tradition, a backward superstition, but if the ritual is not carried out soon... all growing things will suffer. "

Interest piqued by the nymph's earnestness, King Yamato sat more upright. "A ritual? What kind? A pinch of salt, incense, chanting, jumping over bonfires -- those kinds of things?"

Daisuke laughed. "No, nothing as complicated as all that. I'm not that sort of nature sprite. Those ceremonies have already taken place. Mine's the last to be done."

Koushiro chewed on his lip. "So, um, what type of a nature sprite are you?"

The nymph struck a pose and waited with a silent smirk.

Taichi thought back to his lessons. "Um, fire? Air? Earth? Water? Err... what else is there?"

Daisuke paused for effect, savoring the undivided attentions of the three humans. It was one thing to be said in their favor. Trees were incredibly difficult to fluster, yet humans, with their delicate (and predictable) sensibilities were so delightful to shock.

"Well, what else is there?" Taichi growled, impatient as ever.

"Sex." The nymph made his face carefully neutral as he tried to conceal his mirth.

The delivery produced a fit of coughing in the knight. Daisuke was obliged to thump him on the back until the human signaled he was all right. Prince Taichi looked skeptical. King Yamato smiled, but he quickly hid it.

"And so you need us to do what, exactly?" the King asked.

"I need two of royal blood to perform an ancient fertility ritual so that the surrounding land may continue to produce fruitfully."

This was perfect. Yamato's blue eyes narrowed sharply, holding a hint of curiosity, a hint of mischief. He glanced sideways at Prince Taichi. "I certainly wouldn't want anything bad happening to the land. Tell me, nymph, is the ritual complicated?"

Daisuke swallowed the smile threatening to rise. He _knew_ the King understood the underlying message. The blond ruler's carefully concerned words were spoken for Taichi's benefit only. It would be a game -- to see how long it would take for the Prince to catch on. The nymph replied carefully, "It can be complicated, but it's no more difficult than any other day-to-day activity. But there are dangers: your limbs can become tangled, you could lose your mind, and there's even the chance of death..." He held two fingers a wrist's width apart. "But it's a small one." 

Taichi, oblivious to Yamato's failing attempt at keeping a blank face, was riveted to the nymph's every word. "Does it hurt?" he asked, with all innocence.

"I assure you that the ritual is very pleasurable," Daisuke responded seriously. Unfortunately, the King chose that moment to lose control and release loud peals of laughter.

"Hey, wait a minute..." Taichi looked from Koushiro's flaming red face, to the slightly smirking nymph, to where the bastard, Yamato, lay gasping for breath on the grass. "You mean... you want..."

King Yamato recovered enough to reach over and snag hold of Taichi's hem. "Oh, come on. Would it really be so bad?"

Taichi glared. "Why does this seem to be one great conspiracy to get you into my pants?"

The King assumed a wounded look. "Taichi, that's not what's happening here at all," he said as if speaking to a young child.

"No?" the Prince asked sharply. He hated being talked down to. "Then what is? Tell me."

"Silly," Yamato soothed, running a hand beneath the fabric and up the Prince's curiously smooth leg. "I'm trying to get into your skirt."

TBC...


	10. R E S P E C T

**Disclaimer:**

Gah. Is this getting repetitive to anyone else? Not mine.

**  
Warnings:**

No E.T.A. for the next chapter. And we're taking a small break from the humor. Angst ahoy!

**  
Author's Notes:**

Updated: 10-01-04 to insert a scene

Enjoy!

**  
Captive Complications**

**by Ice'is Blue**

**  
10. R-E-S-P-E-C-T**

Koushiro watched, horrified, as the King's hand made a distinct dive beneath the hem of Taichi's dress. _"Silly, I'm trying to get into your skirt,"_ Yamato's voice husked. The knight bit his lip as his Prince made a sputtering, fizzing noise like a teakettle.

Outraged, Taichi ripped himself out of Yamato's grasp and began to stalk off into the night. With every step away from the vile man, he felt freer, less disgusted with himself for tolerating such ill-mannered behavior. He was liberated.

Unfortunately, he was also soon liberated of his footing when his step came down upon the hem of the ballgown and he consequently face-planted into the ground. No one spoke, no one moved. Not even that damn, smiling King. Fine. That suited Taichi just fine. He hadn't been expecting any sympathy. His hands stung as he pushed away from the ground.

As Taichi lay motionless upon the forest floor, Daisuke debated whether or not to intervene. Judging from the reactions of the other two men, the Prince would best be left to calm himself alone. At least for a little while. He would be safe enough as long as he didn't travel too far away. Daisuke remained silent as Taichi picked himself up and resumed his huff off into the thickening trees.

Koushiro felt the nymph's restraining hand as he tried to rise and follow after his Prince.

"He'll be safe," Daisuke said softly. "Let him be for a moment." The knight didn't pull from his grasp and the King finally sat back down after a long, thoughtful glance at the gap in the trees. The corners of the nymph's mouth twitched up in a smile and he held back a small sigh of relief. They trusted him. That was good. But before he could fully relax the knight tensed beneath his fingers.

Koushiro glared at the King. The hormone-laden King was treating his Prince like a toy to be tormented and abused. And it was going to stop.

Yamato shifted uncomfortably under the knight's dark stare. He just knew the short man was devising numerous plots to cause him pain and bodily harm. Meanwhile, the nymph was watching him expectantly, waiting. The King wasn't sure what sort of insects were chirping, but the _crik-crik_ neatly filled the silence left in the Prince's wake. Taichi had actually seemed _angry_... and that was even before he had fallen flat on his face.

He shifted again in his seat before clearing his throat. "I'll... I'd better go after him."

Koushiro shook off the nymph's hand and leapt to his feet. "_Absolutely_ not! You've caused enough trouble, _Your Highness_. Taichi is _my_ friend, not yours. And that's the way it's going to stay. _I'm_ going after him and when we come back, _you're_ only going to speak to him when _absolutely_ necessary."

Yamato blinked. Taichi's vertically challenged knight was trying to tell him what to do. He would have been angry, if it weren't so funny. He cast an amused look at the nymph, then set his trademark smirk upon Sir Koushiro. "Judging from your... liberal... use of verbal emphasis, would I be correct in saying that you feel strongly about this?" Yamato wasn't sure, because the sounds were soft and low, but the knight just might be snarling now.

Daisuke, being closer, could hear clearly the almost inhuman growl coming from deep within the knight's throat. He wrapped a gentle, restraining arm around the knight's middle, then pulled the man into his lap.

Yamato watched as the nymph soothed Koushiro with feather-light caresses to his arms, cheeks, and hair. Daisuke's words, spoken too quietly for him to understand, made the King curious. Was that love in their eyes? How had the stuffy little knight managed to snag the sex-exuding nymph? And how, in turn, was the nymph able to temper the knight's fiery tongue?

"Koushiro," the nymph breathed into the knight's ear. "I understand your feelings, but there is still the dire matter of the forest's prosperity. In order for things to turn out well for both kingdoms, King Yamato and Prince Taichi must settle their differences. Please... allow the King to make his amends." He pressed a kiss to the delicate skin beneath Koushiro's lobe before the knight had the chance to speak. "Please? I would not ask this of you if it were not of the utmost importance."

_Oh. Right there._ That felt good. Koushiro bit back what he was going to say, bit back what almost became a very embarrassing moan, and heaved a sigh instead. The nymph was way too distracting to maintain a proper grudge. Daisuke cuddled him closer and Koushiro felt himself grow calm. "Right," he managed to say. But shouldn't he still be mad?

"It would be fitting to allow the King to make his apologies," Daisuke coaxed.

Wow. Yamato was impressed. The nymph was good at what he did. Maybe he would let himself be hired for the annual Regent's Ball that was coming up. People's conflicting tempers had resulted in bloodshed in four out of the last five balls... and that one-time reprieve was only because the attendants had been too inebriated to cause each other physical harm.

Koushiro glared at Yamato, judging how long it might take him to concoct a scathing report and send it out among the traveling minstrels. No one talked to Taichi like that. He... The protective urge in him settled as the King sobered under the weight of his stare. Koushiro flicked a glance at the nymph and decided to trust the fey's judgement. He nodded to the King. "Taichi deserves better -- your respect, your consideration of his feelings. Make things right."

The King bowed to them both. "You have my thanks, Sir Koushiro. I will treat him properly this time."

The knight tried and failed to detect any hints of insincerity or innuendo. The King was serious, for once. "Good," he grunted.

Yamato nodded his thanks to the nymph, who remained more or less wrapped around the knight. He then set off in the direction Taichi had headed, grabbing up a blanket and wrapping it loosely about his shoulders like a cloak as he left the campsite.

888

Daisuke held the still-fuming Koushiro until the sight of the King's back was lost to the forest, then he loosened his grip -- not fully drawing away, but allowing the knight to escape if he so desired. His sense of sexual energy signaled him the moment the genius' mind switched from the two royals to the more pressing, immediate situation. The knight squirmed.

"I'm okay. You can let me go now."

The nymph smiled. Koushiro was free to move if he chose, but so far, his struggles were half-hearted at best. The knight was displaying signs of desire, discomfort, and was that... shame? For a moment, Daisuke thought that Koushiro might just relax and let himself be comforted, but the small man gathered his strength and broke free. He went to go sit on the opposite side of the fire. Daisuke did not follow, though he watched the human closely.

Koushiro sat sullenly on the moss-covered turf. His conscience pricked at him. _You touched him intimately without his permission. Only the worst of cads does that._ He could feel the nymph watching him through the flame, but the expression gracing the delicate features was unreadable. Normally Koushiro would avoid all conversation topics that could prove embarassing, but he had to say something. Honor required it.

"I apologize for my behavior earlier."

Daisuke could guess, since the knight was obviously feeling embarassed as well as guilty, what Koushiro was referring to, but it really wasn't a large matter to him so he purposefully misunderstood. "It wasn't anything out of the ordinary. I think Taichi and Yamato will understand your concern for the Prince."

Koushiro lowered his head along with his voice. "I meant about the ears. I didn't mean to force myself upon you. I'm sorry." The forest suddenly seemed very large and dark. He huddled his arms closer about his knees.

"Sir Koushiro?" Dark eyes slowly lifted, then fell, unable to maintain contact. Daisuke's heart ached. "Koushiro, please don't feel badly for saving my life. I do not know this for certain, but I assume it was you who thought to place me next to a tree?" If he hadn't been looking for it, he would have missed the minute nod. "That action allowed me to recover most of my strength. However, I am more unique than a normal wood nymph, and as such, my energy requirements are dual. Yes, I must remain close to my tree, but I also require energy from a physical, more intimate, contact. If you had merely sat and watched me, I would not have awakened."

The knight's eyes widened. Daisuke smiled gently in understanding. He hadn't been in quite as much danger as he was presenting... he had friends who checked in on him who would have known how to wake him. Or Vii could have gone for help. Daisuke looked up, searching the darkness above. Earlier, he had only seen the briefest flash of blue among the trees, but it was enough to know that his oldest friend was keeping a distant watch over him.

The knight was struggling with the nymph's words. "If I hadn't... you would have died?"

Koushiro was looking distraught. Daisuke tried to be comforting, but the words he spoke weren't as fitting as crossing the space the knight maintained and hugging the man would have been. "I would have lived," he said gently. "There are those who look out for me." He couldn't help once again glancing up into the overhanging branches. "But because I received what was required so soon, I was able to recover more quickly. And..." Daisuke suspected this was the main issue, "Having it be you who has aided me was not unpleasant. In fact, it pleased me greatly."

The breath caught in Koushiro's throat. How had the nymph known?

"My only regret is that in the first union between us, I was not awake to fully appreciate your skills."

The knight blushed furiously, then felt his body tense as the nymph stood and sat back down less than an arm's length away. Daisuke caught up his hand and brought it to his lips.

"Thank you for saving me, my good knight."

Koushiro squirmed and fidgeted. "You don't have to thank me," he said, his voice coming out more gruffly than he intended.

Daisuke smiled. "How about we call it even, then?" he asked, using his thumb to stroke soothingly against the knight's hand.

Koushiro reminded himself to breathe. "S-Sure."

"And now maybe we can get to know each other better?"

"U-Uhuam... uh... vuuf... whaa..." Doing marginally better than his mouth, his brain managed to formulate a single intelligible word. _Help!_ Daisuke was still holding Koushiro's hand and making it completely impossible to think properly. "D-Do you mean like holding hands and kissing and stuff?" Would he like that? Judging from his current reaction, Koushiro would like that very much, but Daisuke seemed so sure of himself...

"Whatever you feel comfortable with."

Time. Time would be good. He could gather his nerve, feel more in control. The nymph was obviously very knowledgeable in matters such as these, and what did Koushiro know? What did he have to offer? He needed time. "Can I think about it?"

"Of course," Daisuke answered smoothly.

The nymph kissed the knight's hand once more, then released it. He smiled. _Gotcha.  
_

_888  
_

Yamato found the Prince propped in a sulking position beneath the tree where they had napped earlier. Taichi's gaze lifted at his approach, but then lowered to resume studying the patchwork of leaves upon the ground.

"So, uh, you're mad at me?"

It was hard ignoring the King, but Taichi set his shoulders and his frown, then set about reminding himself of why he had every right to be upset and remain that way indefinitely.

_He tried to kidnap Hikari. I have grounds for wiping him off the face of the planet just for that, but his men took me instead. I don't care if I **was** wearing a dress, with the way I was yelling, they should have known better. I don't yell like a girl. He must have ordered them to take me... all so he could try to eat me up like a piece of meat. And then he has the nerve to sweet-talk me into playing as his 'captive'. I'm a Prince. I have responsibilities! Even though he doesn't, other people value my thoughts and feelings. I'm important. I'm not some peasant to be dazzled by a flash of jewels, a pretty smile, and that gorgeous hair!_

Taichi let out a small gust of air. _Damn. Staying mad at Yamato would be so much easier if I didn't like him. He hasn't earned it. All he does is look amazing and make me laugh every once in a while. What he does is nothing special, but somehow **he** is. I can't explain it._

_Still, he shouldn't have said what de did to me. Maybe it was a joke, but I deserve better than cliched come-ons._

Taichi still wasn't speaking. _Check. He's mad,_ Yamato thought. _Maybe if I use humor?_ He put on a winning smile. "So, I don't suppose pigtails would make it up to you?"

At first Yamato thought that Taichi's eyes were brightening with suppressed mirth, then he saw beneath it to the anger.

"You really don't get it, do you?" the Prince asked, voice surprisingly soft. "If you're trying to apologize, just say it -- no jokes, no tricks, just _mean_ it. Make me believe." His smile twisted. "Or are you incapable of having honestly pure feelings?"

A shock ran through Yamato's body. He felt Taichi's brown eyes boring into him, making him feel like scum. "I- I..." He needed to remember to breathe. He could do this. And suddenly, it was important that he succeed in making Taichi not angry with him. "You're right. You're right and I was wrong. I apologize. I'm sorry, Prince Taichi." The words faded off on the air, but they seemed to have made no impact upon Taichi's mood.

The brunet turned his head slowly from side to side and spoke, his voice low and even, "That's hardly enough. Sorry for what?"

_Uhhh... For what? For what? For what? Uhhh..._ Koushiro's angry words popped into his mind. It appeared he owed the uppity knight something after all. "I'm sorry that I did not treat you with more respect. Although my words were spoken in jest, I should have considered your feelings." There. That sounded formally sincere. He checked if Taichi was taking it.

The King's speech was very pretty, too pretty, almost. "But you _did_ think about how I'd feel. You made the _choice_ to tease me. You _wanted_ to make me upset."

Yamato opened his mouth, but no sound came out. His teeth closed with a click.

Taichi was right. Not in a I'm-going-to-agree-with-you-just-so-you'll-like-me sort of right, but in the sense that on the moral playing field, Taichi was the one standing on the high-ground.

Probably.

Was it bad to love watching brown eyes spark? To relish the thrill that came at every touch made in both innocence and lust? To enjoy feeling the rush of provoking a person he knew was capable of putting him in his place? To savor the care he knew Taichi had to hold?

Because why else would the brunet put up with Yamato's bad behavior? Any other person with the same capabilities as Taichi would have murdered him by now, would have gotten away, said 'no' more firmly, done _something_. It had to be love. Yet... now... Taichi _wasn't_ putting up with it. He _was_ saying 'no.' When had Yamato's actions changed from being an endearing, if admittedly annoying, quirk to something that was grounds for their never speaking again?

Maybe it wasn't love. If it was, wouldn't Taichi understand and accept his need to tease and harass?

The King bit down on his cheek. It hurt, but not nearly as much as the storm of emotions brewing inside of him. Taichi was waiting, giving him a chance to speak. But the more he grasped for things to say, the more inadequate they sounded in his mind, the more he just wanted to crawl to the man's feet and offer himself up to the Prince's mercy. But mercy and forgiveness were not being offered. Taichi wanted him to _change_.

Right now, Yamato couldn't even bring himself to physically _move_, let alone attempt to alter deep-seated patterns of personal interactions. And he still couldn't move when Taichi gave him one last loathing look and turned away.

Taichi pulled himself into a tighter ball. This was it, then. _Yamato doesn't care._ He tucked his chin lower and tried to pretend he was anywhere other than in the middle of a dark forest, slightly cold, rather hungry, and being held captive indefinitely by the biggest jerk in the Ten Kingdoms. It wasn't wrong to not want to be treated like a piece of meat being dangled over a voracious, horny dog.

Yamato closed his eyes. Taichi was shivering. Yamato took the blanket from around his neck and held it in his hand. He could go over, rest it warmly around the Prince's shoulders, run a soothing hand along spine and arms. He could whisper that he was sorry. It would be a start, a beginning.

He still couldn't move.

There wasn't a spell restricting his movement. No, he could feel something broken inside him. He couldn't think of how to fix himself, so he just stood there and watched as Taichi huddled in the cold.

"Hey!"

The snap in Koushiro's voice, as he and the nymph arrived at the edge of an apparently unsuccessful reconciliation, jolted both of the royals.

Taichi unhunched immediately, and surveyed the newcomers with a wary eye. No matter how much he wanted to go back to the warmth of the campfire, he didn't want to return if the King was going to be there to harass him. He had to make a stand... even if he froze while doing it.

Yamato, on the other hand, jumped at the sudden sound, then resumed his unmoving state, one fist clenched at his side while the other held the blanket in a death-grip.

"Is everything all right?"

Taichi didn't know how to answer his friend. He looked over at Yamato, but the blond's head was turned away. No one spoke.

Daisuke stepped even with the knight's elbow and surveyed the scene. The pair definitely required assistance. He hoped this wouldn't get himself killed. "Koushiro and I were enjoying dinner when we realized that any making up between the two of you would have been conducted at a significantly higher volume. In situations like this, I would normally allow you to fix this on your own, but we _are_ operating under critical time constraints. King Yamato, please forgive me."

Gasping as a cloaked figure suddenly appeared in front of him, Yamato couldn't avoid inhaling the shimmery pink dust that poofed into his face. His heart rate increased and he felt a flush building over his entire body. And an ache. Oh, how it ached, and he needed... _What's happening to me?_

The nymph's voice rang loud: "Be nice. Follow Taichi's orders and make him happy."

A pink haze settled over Yamato's vision and he began to move.

TBC...


	11. Nothing Inspires Forgiveness Quite Like ...

**Disclaimer:**

Don't own Digimon. More's the pity.

**  
Warnings:**

Can anyone tell me where September went? I lost it in the hell known as 'moving'.

As of 08/12/04 (but by the time it was actually posted, it's more like as of 10/04/04), **the previous chapter contains an entirely new scene** Dai/Kou. Has it really been almost two months? receives glares Right. Sowwy. As always, the LJ link is a good place to see what I'm doing. And never underestimate the power of the anonymous (or not so anonymous) poke. Whoever poked me on the 2nd gets a box of e-pocky. (No, you don't really get pocky. I'm just saying that.)

Now for the real warnings: No E.T.A. for the next chapter. Recovering hair fetishists, beware. Inappropriate use of pigtails. We've got two guys hugging and kissing and stuff in here, but nothing to go past the PG-13 limit. Probably. ;)

**  
Author's Notes:**

Chapter title taken from Scott Adams, USA cartoonist (creator of Dilbert). Quote was found here: wwwDOTquotationspageDOTcom

Enjoy!

**Captive Complications**

**by Ice'is Blue  
  
**

**  
11. Nothing Inspires Forgiveness Quite Like Revenge**

Stumbling through the pink haze, Yamato crossed to where Taichi was huddled. He sank to one knee and bowed his head. He had a mission. _Be nice. Follow Taichi's orders and make him happy._ "What is your bidding, my Master?"

Satisfied and more than a little amused at the King's choice of words, Daisuke turned and walked away, dragging a gaping Koushiro with him. Yamato might not kill him for this if the knight didn't have a list of embarrassing things to harass him with. _Although..._ Daisuke mused, _maybe the King wants to do this for the Prince. There's nothing in my spell making him call the man 'Master'._ Time would tell.

Prince Taichi looked helplessly between the humbled King and the retreating pair. "Hey, wait! You can't leave him here like this. _I'm_ the one who's pouting here!" He chased after them only to run smack into a poof of pink dust.

"Stay," Daisuke commanded. "Until this is sorted out. Now, go back over there."

To Taichi's sight, the nymph and Koushiro vanished into a pink fog and try as he might, he couldn't catch up with them. Not wanting to get himself lost in the swirling pinkness, he returned to the clearing. Which of course, he could see perfectly. _Stupid magic._

Yamato rose only to kneel again at Taichi's feet.

"Oh, get up, would you," the Prince growled. The King complied promptly, then assumed a position of attentive readiness. Taichi sighed. "How long are you going to be like this."

"I don't know. I ... " He paused. Something was wrong with Taichi's hands. "You hurt yourself when you fell. May I see?"

Not 'let me see' but 'may I see'. Still, Taichi wasn't a soft maiden who cried at the prick of a finger. "They're just scratched a bit. I'm fine."

"Respectfully, Master, I'll bet that there's dirt in the wounds. It'd be best to wash it out."

"Well, the river's back there and I'm stuck here," Taichi snapped. "So I'll take care of it myself later."

"Ah, but I have water here," Yamato said, unstrapping a skin from his side.

"Wait, you didn't have that before!" Taichi hadn't seen Yamato carrying anything other than his sword.

Yamato gave Taichi a look. "Just because you don't notice something, doesn't mean it's not there."

Taichi bit his lip.

"Hold out your hands, please?"

The scratches _did_ sting a little. And the King was being polite about helping. Taichi held out his arms palms up and turned his face away. It was hard enough staying angry without Yamato being only a pace away.

The King did a quick but thorough job of the washing, then produced a soft cloth and gently dried Taichi's hands. "Feel better?"

Taichi wanted to snarl, but doing so would make him no better than Yamato. "Thank you," he said primly.

If the King noticed the tone, he ignored it. "You're welcome."

Taichi bit back an insult and focused on counting leaves.

888

As Koushiro was being dragged away from the ridiculously behaving royalty, Daisuke let out a small moan. The scholar-turned-knight only had a moment to react as the nymph fell, but he somehow managed to catch the fey.

"Keep moving," Daisuke ordered, his breathing labored.

The knight nodded, towing the half-mobile nymph behind him until they reached the campsite. Daisuke was looking alarmingly pale again. Koushiro sat down at the base of the nymph's tree and pulled him into his lap. "Are you all right? What happened?"

"Forcing Yamato to be nice wasn't too difficult since he has a lot of pent-up lust. But what I did to Taichi... that was just pure mind control. My powers don't work well that way and the price of misuse is exhaustion." He gave a small chuckle. "A part of him must've wanted to stay, though. Or else it wouldn't have worked."

Koushiro smirked at the image of Taichi enjoying being worshiped by King Yamato. "So all that's wrong with you now is that you're drained of energy?"

Daisuke beamed up in surprise at the brilliant man and nodded, snuggling closer into the knight's embrace.

_Returning the nymph to full strength would make it safer for everyone,_ Koushiro thought. Content with this logic, a soft, calculating smile curled his lips. "You can get energy from your tree, I know, but don't you also draw energy from amorous attention?"

Daisuke gulped as a tingle shot up his spine. Koushiro's hands were rubbing lightly against his chest. "T-That's right," he managed weakly.

"Hmm," the knight said in mock-consideration. "Would you be averse to me offering my time and attention?"

The nymph knew he was well on his way to becoming love-drunk. He was fairly certain, though, that this was the stuffy knight's version of a come-on. He did not want to get slapped for this later, however, so it was best to check.

"You wanna make out with me?"

"Mmm," Koushiro agreed, reaching for Daisuke's ear.

And that was the last distinguishable word spoken on the matter for a good long while.

888

Taichi was angry, hungry, and cold. Not in that order, he decided, and he cursed the fact that he hadn't thought to snatch up some food as he'd stormed off. As for the King, Taichi wasn't sure how Yamato could be irritating just kneeling meekly, but the prick was managing it somehow. _He_ had a blanket, Taichi noted. It was wrapped loosely about the King's shoulders, doing absolutely nothing to provide warmth, and meanwhile, Taichi froze in his dress. If Yamato was going to hog the blanket, at least he could make better use of it!

The Prince's anger helped make him warm. A little bit.

"Enough! I'm going to get some dinner. Don't follow me!"

The moment Taichi reached the edge of the clearing, pink fog blocked his path. Undaunted this time, he kept walking. _The path has got to still be here. The nymph just has a bit of mind magic._ But the further he went, the harder it became to move his legs, and some force began pushing back at him. "Dammit, I'm hungry!" he bellowed into the fog. He struggled forward one more step, but before he could transfer his weight, the force shoved at him and he wound up back in the clearing, nursing a bruised bottom.

Yamato was instantly at his side, offering a hand up. Taichi roughly smacked it away.

"This is all _your_ fault. You're the one who kidnaped me, teased me, made it so that I'm stuck in this stupid dress, and now, because of you, I can't even get any food to eat!" He struggled to his feet unaided. "And all because you're a BIG PERVY PRICK!" He shoved Yamato backward with each of the shouted words."

Yamato looked down at the ground guiltily. With all that he'd done, he had no right to get angry at being pushed around a few times. He felt the compulsion to 'be nice' but it wasn't completely foreign to his own line of thinking. He had to soothe the Prince somehow. "I'm sorry that I've upset you in the past," he said, "and that you're feeling unhappy. Perhaps, though, I can help you?"

Taichi glared at him. _What sort of line was that supposed to be?_ "I don't need your help. Just sit there and be quiet until this dust wears off. Once I can move, I'm leaving -- and you're not going to stop me. That nymph can find someone else to help him do his ritual."

"I could get you food," the King suggested softly. Apparently, the definition of 'quiet' was flexible as far as the Daisuke's spell was concerned. "A nice meal would make you happy, yes?"

Taichi considered the possibilities. There was the slightest chance that he was behaving in an overly cranky manner because he was hungry. It followed, then, that food would improve his disposition and the situation at large. But he wouldn't be really happy until Yamato felt as miserable and humiliated as he did. _Oh._ His eyes widened, but he didn't let himself grin yet.

"Would you do anything to make me happy, Yamato?"

_Anything?_ Yamato wondered. Probably not, but the nymph's handiwork might not give him a choice. Still, he could win points if he played it cool. "Well, I'm still under the spell. But more than that, I'll do anything to make it up to you. Anything you want, I'll give gladly."

"Anything?" Taichi checked, raising his brow in anticipation.

"Anything, because I trust you. I know you wouldn't ask me to do anything that would be too uncomfortable."

"Oh, I don't know if that's exactly right. All you know is that I'm not keen on the idea of you ravishing me. I may, however, have no qualms about doing the same to you. Come here."

Yamato stood and obediently moved closer. Not that he would admit it, but hearing Taichi ordering him around was rather enticing. Of course, once the spell was off, he'd see that Taichi understood the proper boundaries of their relationship, but for now, it was fun pretending to be submissive.

Taichi closed the gap between them. "Hold still." He let his hands wander over the fabric of Yamato's tunic while his lips latched onto the sensitive point where neck and jawline met. He heard Yamato make a noise, but no mauling grope came. The spell was holding. He bit down lightly, marking the King's smooth skin with his teeth.

Yamato's breath was coming fast and heavy. Try as he might, he couldn't lift his arms to embrace the Prince. His whole body quivered with tension.

"Can you take what you dish out, Your Highness?" Taichi asked him.

Taichi's breath, hot and ticklish against the skin of Yamato's neck, was driving the King to distraction. "Why?" he managed.

"Because you like it. Because I can."

_That makes sense,_ Yamato thought foggily.

"Mmm..." He raked his fingertips up the back up Yamato's skull, threading the hairs through his fingers. "Grow your hair out for me. I want to feel it."

Even if Yamato had wanted to refuse, he wouldn't have been able to. But he didn't want to refuse... Taichi's fingers running through his hair felt too good. He patted his head. "Longer."

Taichi caught hold of the lengthened locks and rewarded Yamato with the kiss on the lips that the blond had been searching for. He slipped his hands beneath the King's tunic, savoring the warmth of Yamato's skin. He forced himself to take a breath and slow this down. He was running out of first-hand experience and he didn't want to venture onto new territory tonight.

Yamato laughed and tried to jerk away when Taichi found the ticklish spot beneath his left rib. The Prince's order kept him in place. "Please say I can touch you, Taichi," he said, not caring that he was begging.

"Not yet. But maybe you could grow your hair down to your thighs? There's so much we could do with it at that length." When Yamato complied, Taichi let the hair fall in strands about the King's body. Backing Yamato up against a tree, he used the tips of one strand to tickle the flesh of Yamato's belly. As he'd planned, the remainder of the hair was getting caught in the rough bark of the tree trunk.

"If you put it up, then it wouldn't get pulled. Maybe like you had it before, in the pigtails, that would work," he suggested. Taichi held his breath, seeing if Yamato would notice his plan. To his relief, Yamato complied unquestioningly with lust-glazed eyes. The ties weren't jewel adorned like the last time, but they did their job.

The Prince smiled, then made a giant theatrical shiver that was only half-faked.

"Cold?" Yamato asked, finally clueing in.

Taichi gave his best miserable expression and nodded. "Would you mind if I had the blanket?"

"Of course. Forgive me." Yamato scowled at himself. Taichi was almost unhappy and Yamato could've fixed it sooner. He had to be more attentive. He wrapped the blanket around Taichi.

"Much better," Taichi purred. He gave Yamato another involved kiss, then bit roughly at his lip as he disengaged. At the King's whine of pain, Taichi assumed a contrite expression. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm hungry after all. Could you get me something? Then maybe after, we can pick up where we left off?"

_Ohhhhhh..._ Yamato liked that idea. He liked it very much. Not the leaving Taichi part... but anything to make the Prince happy. And if Taichi wanted to create more opportunities to award good behavior for, Yamato would happily oblige.

"The stew should be done by now, I think. Would you like me to bring you some of that?"

"Stew would be fine. But only bring one bowl. I wouldn't want you to spill it and burn yourself. You can eat later."

"As you wish, Master."

888

TBC


	12. Love Slave

**Disclaimer:**

Digimon's not mine... although, I may try to lay limited claims to Pervy!Yamato... if only for my own personal amusement. cough

**Warnings:**

No E.T.A. for the next chapter. But you knew that already, ne? And um... perhaps a rating jump in a few chapters? :wink:

**Author's Notes:**

For shits and giggles, a zipped MP3 of Yamato's song can be found in the 'Fun' section of my website. Also on my website (and at my LJ), new sections of DM's sixth chapter will be posted weekly starting Jan 19th for at least 2 months.

**Captive Complications**

**by Ice'is Blue**

**12. Love Slave**

"King Yamato?!" Koushiro yelped in a very unmanly voice.

Head tilted to the side and eyes blinking, the royal was unable to come up with any sort of response. There, by the fire, (and more importantly) between him and Taichi's food, the knight and the nymph were frozen in a half-naked tumble. Contrary to Yamato's expected logic, 'half-naked' for the pair did not mean that the grumpy knight was fully clothed while Daisuke enjoyed a natural state. No, the pair's tunics had been stripped off and suspicious marks covered the nymph's torso.

Daisuke was thoroughly enjoying his time with the knight, and while he was upset about being interrupted, he did not want to lose this potential mate to Yamato's possible murderous rage. So, when Koushiro opened his mouth again, he firmly clamped his hand over it. And sternly reminded himself that he didn't need to ask the King about his pigtails. "Your Highness," he greeted, rolling Koushiro off to the side so he could sit up. "Did you need something?"

Yamato blinked. He _knew_ that the nymph was merely trying to be polite, but the creature's voice automatically inserted all manner of distracting innuendos into the words. He forced himself to focus on his mission. "Taichi's hungry." He gave a darting glance toward the stew pot. "I'll just grab him a bit to eat and be off."

He quickly ladled a medium-sized portion into one of the bowls that had already been laid out. Yamato and the pair both kept a wary eye on the other... each wondering just what had been happening, some imagining with more elaborate detail than others. By mutual decision no one spoke until the King had left.

Yamato returned to Taichi's side quickly. He knelt before the Prince and offered up the bowl of stew.

The brunet gave an un-Princely grunt as he took the food and began eating with ravenous gusto.

Yamato remained silent for the short time while Taichi devoured the fragrant meat and vegetables. He wasn't looking forward to what would come next. All too soon, the Prince set the bowl down.

The King bowed low. "Your further orders, Master?"

Though the stew had warmed Taichi's belly, cold nipped at the chest exposed by the dress' plunging neckline. He twitched his shoulders in annoyance. He was in charge here and there was no way he was going to remain in these idiotic clothes. "I want you to retrieve suitable garments for me to wear."

Yamato would miss seeing the Prince in the pink dress, but the pink haze around him left him no choice but to obey. "If there is nothing else you require at this time, I shall go now."

"No, wait a moment. I think without you, I might catch a chill even with the blanket. Your clothes look warmer. You should lend them to me until you can find suitable replacements for yourself." The King didn't appear to be worried or alarmed yet, so Taichi made his command more specific. "Strip."

Yamato shivered at the thought, but moved to comply. "As you desire it, Master." He removed the belt of supplies and folded it neatly near the base of a tree. His tunic and undershirt followed, then his boots. He was becoming quite chilled by this point. His fingers trembled as he undid the stays to his trousers and pushed the cloth down over his hips.

"Good," Taichi said, nodding in approval.

Yamato could feel the nymph's spell spark in him. He'd made the Prince happy! It was almost enough of a jolt to drive the cold away. What was more, the Prince's gaze upon his nearly naked body was enough to make a block of ice feverish. He expected the Prince to begin changing then, but the man did not.

"Now the rest of it," Taichi commanded. The Prince's conscience twinged and a part of him felt like he was taking an unfair advantage of the situation, but he firmly told that voice to be quiet, since he knew the King would have had no such hesitations had their positions been reversed. He had a limited amount of time to fully embarass the King and he was going to take every liberty possible.

Yamato tried not to become flushed as Taichi watched him remove his final piece of covering. He had nothing to be ashamed of, and if he was pleasing the Prince, he would do anything. Standing completely bare, though, he realized that he was very definitely cold. At least his hair, brushing softly over his buttocks provided a minimal buffer against the night's chill.

Breathing through his open mouth, Taichi felt a shiver that had absolutely nothing to do with the cold. "Good. Now turn around. Don't move."

When Yamato obeyed, Taichi stepped closer to the blond. He couldn't stop his fingers from running through the man's hair and down his back. He even dared to feel the soft skin covering the twin moons of pale flesh, rubbing them reverently as if, like a Buddha's belly, they would bring him luck.

Gentle hands touched him and Yamato's breaths became more rapid. _Yes._ This was what he wanted. "Taichi..."

Taichi pulled away when the King spoke his name, horrified at what he'd allowed himself to do. "Stay still," he ordered again, just to be sure. He unwrapped the blanket and draped it across Yamato's shoulders. "Hold this so it stays."

With some difficulty, Taichi wriggled out of the dress. He was uncomfortable with the intimacy associated with sharing undergarments, so he stowed the King's beneath the folded belt and changed into the remainder of Yamato's discarded clothes.

"You can turn around now." The King obeyed and Taichi held the dress out to him. "I don't want you catching your death, so wear this." Taichi had to help with the laces and the dress was tighter on Yamato's larger frame, but finally the King was garbed in the pink garment that he had teased Taichi so mercilessly about. "Now I want you to go to your wardrobe bags and get me an outfit that is respectable and well suited to me. Do not displease me by picking something with garish coloring."

Yamato smiled at the special stipulations. As if Yamato even owned something that could be considered 'garish'. He was the epitome of dashing and handsome. But he merely said, "Yes, Master."

Taichi smiled. "And, while you're there in the guards' camp, I want you to do something else that pleases me. It occurs to me that you are not so friendly with the very men that guard you. Before taking the clothes, I want you to go to each of them and pay him a sincere compliment that is based upon what you have observed about the man. Then I want you to ask your Master of the Guard to provide you with lubricant so that things will be easier on yourself. You are not allowed to tell them that this is something that I have ordered you to do. You must accomplish this in as natural a manner as possible. Get clothing suitable for me and return here. Understood?"

"I will do as you command," Yamato said. A part of him knew that Taichi was trying to get him to humiliate himself. He minded, of course. But he had to respect the intellect that could come up with something terrible that merely damaged his image. And for Yamato, image was everything, yet... for Taichi's sake... maybe he didn't mind. It wasn't like he had a choice anyway. He'd play this game if it could help get him what he wanted. However, the part of him that was thinking this was looking at the world as if through a pink frosted window pane. And Taichi was a warm candle inside. For the Prince's smile, Yamato would do anything.

Taichi looked into Yamato's love-struck eyes, saw a flicker of annoyance surface and abate in the blue orbs, and then the Prince smiled a wicked smile. It was enough. He would have to thank the nymph eventually for giving him this opportunity. The thigh-length pigtails and pink ballgown were enough to avenge his dignity. Yamato would remember him when he was gone. Of that Taichi had no doubt.

888

"My dear sir, that's a fine tattoo of an ogre you have there," he said to a man who had stripped down earlier for training. "It makes you look very fierce."

The man, whose name he could not remember, drew up to his full height which put his head much, much higher than Yamato's and the King was left looking at a very sculpted set of pectoral muscles. "That's my mother, Your Highness," he growled.

The lack of respect in the voice was chilling. It had been an honest mistake. Or perhaps the artist's fault. Yamato had to remind himself that these men were loyal to him.

There was one guard remaining. Yamato was done with enduring this unusual form of torture so he picked some random physical attribute on the man and began waxing poetic, but the slow hardening of the man's eyes stopped him. The King looked at him. The man's face was familiar. "Your name is Teota, isn't it?"

The man's eyes went wide and soft with surprise. "Yes, Sir."

"You were the commander of the search parties formed for last year's winter rescues." The man nodded. "That was a good decision you made, to move the camp. How did you know there was the danger of an avalanche?"

The man flushed with pleasure and embarrassment at the praise. "I grew up in the mountains. There's a certain smell and sound that comes as a warning. Loving the mountains means you learn to be wary of hidden dangers. A pass that is easy in the spring can be treacherous in the winter. Many things in this world are like that."

Yamato was about to reiterate his praise and leave, but a thought struck him and he paused. "You're part of my personal force now. Do you miss working there, with the people?"

Teota's eyes flickered towards the Master of the Guard. "It is an honor to keep Your Majesty safe."

"Do you miss the mountains? Truthfully?"

"At least once a week, Sir," he admitted with a wistful smile.

"I'll arrange a formal audience for you once we return."

The man twitched nervously, but quickly composed himself. "There's no need for special treatment, Sir. I'm just doing my duty."

Yamato nodded. "True. In that case, I will arrange separate meetings with all of my personal guards. I should know you all better." He turned to address the group. "I'm sure you all have lives as interesting as Teota's. I look forward to meeting with you individually." He turned to the Master of the Guard. "See to setting up the meetings, will you?" Yamato, wrapped up in his own amusement, missed the man's dark nod. "I'll have to thank Taichi. I should have done this earlier."

"Of course, Your Highness. It will be my priority upon our arrival at the castle." He caught Yamato's elbow and steered him away from the line of guards. "As you were," he barked back at them. The men broke and resumed camp operations, the chatter of conversations becoming a murmur of background sound. "Are you feeling well, King Yamato? Prince Taichi isn't exerting any undue influence upon you, is he?"

The King grimaced. "I'm wearing a dress and my hair is in pigtails. What do you think? But no. Everything is working out as I wish. I can play the fool as long as it wins his heart." He thought next to what Taichi had required him to ask and flushed. "I, um... along those lines... I want you to bring me some lubricant." He forced his teeth to unclench. Natural. He had to say this naturally. "So that I may make things easier on myself." The Master of the Guard had an odd expression on his face. Yamato didn't blame him, but he wanted this done and over with. "Now," he snapped.

The man spun on his heel and returned a short while later with a small skin. Yamato accepted it in silence.

"Your appearance tonight will cause the men to talk," the man said, choosing not to comment on the unusual request, but disapproval clearly evident.

Yamato didn't care for the man's tone. "I was not aware that I was paying them to talk," he said cooly. "You'll see to it that order is kept. That's what I'm paying _you_ for."

"Of course, Your Excellency. I've forgotten my place. Forgive me."

Yamato looked up at the man whom he had relied so heavily upon since his father's death. "It's all right. I need you to keep me in line, too, every now and again. Honestly, when... I would have been lost without you. Thank you."

He slapped the man affectionately on the shoulder in parting and made his way back through the forest to Taichi's side, the bundle of requested clothes tucked under one arm. He didn't look back to see the Master of the Guard's smile turn into a dark stare.

888

"Master," Yamato announced himself, sweeping down into a low bow before Taichi.

The King had held still the arm bearing a pile of clothing through the elegant gesture, Taichi noticed. Atop the stack was an oiled skin pouch used to hold ointments. "Did they laugh at you?"

_Who?_ Yamato wondered. Lots of people had. That had obviously been Taichi's plan. "Your knight laughed," Yamato said.

"And your soldiers, did they laugh as well?"

Yamato didn't want to think about it, but he had to answer the question. "Yes, Master. They laughed."

"Good. Set the clothes down and leave me. I don't want to see you ever again."

_Nope. Not gonna be that easy._ Yamato placed the bundle at Taichi's side and backed up a few paces. He made no move to leave.

"I said go!"

Yamato bowed his head and kneeled.

"Go! Leave!"

"Master, I am trying to please you, but I cannot do so if I am out of your presence."

"Well, that's what I want, so do it!"

"I don't think that's true," the King replied quietly, staring up knowingly into Taichi's eyes.

The Prince gritted his teeth. "You have to obey everything I say, right?"

"It appears I have the ability to interpret certain orders for myself. As long as the order doesn't force me from you forever, I will obey."

"Stand on one leg. Cross your arms. Hop around in a circle. Sing _I'm a Dinky Duck_."

The King sighed.

"Do it," commanded the Prince.

Yamato couldn't ignore the direct order, so he performed the ludicrous dance as ordered until it came to the song. "I don't know that one."

The Prince's brown eyes took on a malicious glint. "Then sing _I've Been a Giant Prick and I'm Sorry_. Make up the words as you feel necessary."

"Make up a song?"

"You have two minutes to think about it. And then I want to hear your melodic apology."

The allotted time was spent with Yamato wrinkling his brow in tense thought and Taichi experiencing sharp anticipation for the King's humiliating downfall. The Prince's self-satisfied smirk grew as Yamato began muttering to himself and shaking his head. Pleased with how much effort was being put into the song of apology, Taichi let him have a little bit longer than he'd originally planned, but eventually he called out, "Time's up! Sing."

The King bowed his head, then looked up with an expression that could only be called seductive. "_I've Been a Giant Prick and I'm Sorry_," he announced. "This pathetic song is written for Prince Taichi of Yagami with my most abject apologies. If you find fault with the melody or words, please do not doubt the sincerity of my remorse for the wrongs that I have committed against you."

The cultured words had rolled off the King's tongue as easily as the opening speech of a banquet. No doubt, Yamato would probably start singing some love-sick ballad about a lover's misery when denounced by the object of his affections. Yamato gave Taichi a slow, quiet, sad nod... before his eyes sparked and his mouth opened in amused, spritely song.

"Theeeeere once was a fool from Ishida,  
who was a bit of a jerk.  
He pissed off a Prince  
by catching a glimpse  
and now his limbs won't work.

"'I've been a giant prick and I'm sorry,'  
he said to his truest love.  
And down on his knees  
he was ready to please  
if only he had a glove!

"But, nay, his love was a shy one,  
and cared not for that sort of thing.  
So he sat by his side  
and swallowed his pride  
And opened his mouth to sing:

"'I've been a giant prick and I'm sorry,  
have mercy upon my plight.  
Forgive me please?  
I'm down on my knees.  
Just kiss me but once this night.'

"And, yes, his love was a kind one,  
and touched his face so surely.  
Their lips met with bliss  
As the Prince pressed his kiss  
And thus the King loved him purely.

"For he'd been a giant prick and was sorry  
he'd caused the Prince any distress.  
And now all could see  
his true loyalty  
as he was the one in the dress.

"So hark to my words kindly sir,  
and remember the peace of the dove:  
Good-will to all men  
And breakfast at ten  
to be shared with your one true love.

"So, please, Taichi, show some pity.  
I know that I've done wrong.  
I love you, I do,  
Even more than my shoe.  
Don't make me wait too long."

Yamato repeated the last line, then finished with a bow.

Taichi just stared. The tune had been an old one -- nothing fancy (and possibly a bar song, if he was remembering correctly) -- but Yamato's singing... the words... his voice... It had been amazing. He was touched. And couldn't keep himself from smiling. But Yamato's expression had turned from jovial to quiet earnest and Taichi found the humor he'd held slipping away as the moment grew.

"That was well sung. Thank you," he murmured, so as not to break the atmosphere.

"I meant it, Taichi."

The brunet quirked an eyebrow. "What's up with loving me more than your shoe? That's not a highly flattering comparison."

Yamato blushed. "That was just for the rhyme. Besides, I'll have you know, these boots are absolutely fabulous. They're my most prized possession."

"Sure, it was and sure, they are," he said, completely unconvinced, but it didn't really matter. He scuffed the ground with the toe of his boot. "So, if you'd do all this stuff that I asked you to do -- embarrassing yourself in front of your men, hopping around, singing -- why won't you leave when I tell you to?"

Yamato was formulating his answer when, apparently, Taichi grew impatient.

"Answer me," the Prince ordered.

And strangely, Yamato didn't feel a burning need to obey. The dust was wearing off. _But Taichi doesn't know it yet._ "I'm thinking," he said to stall for more time while still seeming obedient. He let his eyes rake up and down Taichi's body. Despite the way his worn clothes looked baggy on Taichi's smaller frame, the Prince was looking utterly fine. Uncertain brown eyes showed none of their previous anger. Taichi was ready to listen.

Yamato took a soft step forward. "I think..." Another step. "I didn't leave when you asked, because you would be unhappy if I truly left. Maybe that's presumptuous of me, but it's the reason that I hope is right. I know now that how I've been treating you has really upset you, but I think there's a part of you that cares for me, for whatever reason, just as much as I care for you. I find you to be very attractive, I won't deny it. But more than that -- your sense of humor, your enthusiasm for life, the way you took charge when that batpig attacked -- you're a person I could spend a lot of time with. We could get along really well together. I think we just got off on the wrong foot."

The King reached out slowly, so as not to startle, and caressed the brunet's cheek. He let his hand drop even though everything inside of him was screaming to grab the Prince and kiss him thoroughly. "Do you like me, even a little, Taichi?"

"When you treat me like an equal, I like you a lot." Taichi knew his anger had drained out of him. It seemed too difficult a thing to call it back. "Do you think that when the spell is over, you can continue this good behavior?"

Yamato traced his finger along Taichi's lower lip. "I don't know. Would you call this behaving well?"

"What?"

"Am I satisfying your every will, Master?"

Taichi's breath quickened. Had the dust already worn off? A test. "On your knees."

Yamato took a knee, but only because it suited him.

The Prince couldn't tell if the King was still under his command. True, he had obeyed, but there was something in his eyes... "Get up and dance for me."

Yamato smiled and took Taichi's hand in his. "Taichi, would you give me another chance?"

_Yamato's free!_ Panic flooded through him. _But..._ Taichi wasn't being groped. The King was, in fact, treating him courteously, holding his hand like a knight wooing a fair maiden. The maiden image annoyed him a bit, but Yamato was the one wearing the dress and the blond wasn't laughing or making fun.

"On my honor as a King, I'll treat you properly for this ritual. And if, after that, you want to leave, I'll let you and the knight take the horses with you." He bit delicately at his lip. "But maybe, if you like, we could spend some time together?"

Taichi stiffened. "Doing what, exactly? Sex?"

Heat smouldered in cerulean eyes. "If that's what you want. I won't pretend that I'm not interested, but like I said before, there're other admirable qualities about you."

"If you admire me so much, why have you made my life a living hell from the moment I was dumped in a pile of curtains on your throne room floor?

"Oh, I don't think it's been as bad as all that."

_And there he goes again, discounting my feelings._ Taichi was done. Finished. He'd heard enough. Hopefully the nymph's dust had worn off on him as well.

Yamato caught up to the Prince before the younger man could attempt to leave. "Now wait, don't be angry. What I mean is that while, yes, I think of you with amorous intent, I haven't forced you to do anything too uncomfortable, have I? And I won't. You have my promise. You never exactly told me to stop, either... so I thought you were just feeling shy. Instead of telling me no, you ran away. And when I'm on the hunt and something runs, I chase. You didn't tell me no, so I thought you were enjoying it, but were too shy to admit it. I thought you wanted me to chase after you. I care for you, Taichi. Won't you stick around just a bit longer so I can show you?"

"I _did_ say no," Taichi grumbled. "And keeping me in that ridiculous dress? How was that showing you care for me?"

Yamato had the presence of mind to look abashed, but his tone of voice didn't quite follow through. "Oh, that. That, um, was for fun," he said absently.

Taichi was of half a mind to get angry again, but Yamato stood suddenly and brought their bodies into very close, very intimate contact. The feelings overwhelmed him and he couldn't bring himself to shove the taller man away.

"Believe me," the King husked in the Prince's ear. "I very much appreciate the fact that you are male. It creates numerous opportunities that would be otherwise unavailable. Forgive me for amusing myself at your expense and forgive a harried ruler for taking pleasure where he can find it."

Taichi shivered, then struggled to form enough coherent thought to scowl. "You're doing it again. You're discounting what I think."

"Maybe. Maybe not," he said. Although, he did put some much-needed (at least to Taichi's mind) space between them. "Just quit thinking for a moment and simply feel. Do you hate me being near you?"

"No," the Prince admitted grudgingly.

"Do you, perchance, _like_ me being near you, like this?"

"No!" Yamato's immediate crestfallen look caused Taichi to try very hard to come up with an honest answer that he could actually live with saying out loud. "Maybe," he whispered.

Yamato smiled then, an I'm-actually-a-nice-guy-and-everything-is-going-to-be-okay smile. "I can work with 'maybe'." He examined Taichi's face for any signs of annoyance or hesitation. "Are we good then? Can we head back to the others?"

Taichi sighed. It would be easy to say yes, to let bygones be bygones. At the same time, it would be easy to say no, because really, Yamato hadn't changed a bit. He was still a pervy, groping, letch. Yet... his mind flashed back to when Yamato had held them tightly together. Was it really all that bad? _If only..._

"Promise me something?" Taichi asked.

"As long as it proves no danger to my kingdom, I promise you anything."

The King's easy agreement surprised Taichi and made him a little suspicious. "Don't you even want to know what it is first? What if it's something horrible?"

"Taichi, when I was under that spell, you could have had me do anything, injure myself or whatever, and I couldn't have stopped you. But all you did was make me run errands and look silly. And after what I've put you through these past few days, I think you're entitled to whatever I have in my power to give." He got a worried look on his face. "It _is_ something that I can do, right? You're not gonna ask me to go on a quest for the legendary crests or something, right? That'd be silly, right? Right?"

"Right?" Taichi teasingly mimicked the panicked man. "Yes, it is something that you can do. Maybe even easily. But you might not want to, or maybe you can't..."

Pride ruffled from being mocked, Yamato grouched, "Just say it already, sheesh. It's like you're trying to ask me to marry you."

Taichi blushed. "No, nothing like that. Just... would you treat me like a friend?"

_A friend?_ The idea was... foreign. Yamato was close with Takeru, and he and his father (although the man had always been busy with running the kingdom) were close until the end... he didn't really have any friends. There were advisors, followers, and the Master of the Guard... but none of them were really _friends_. Aside from Takeru, he'd never had to interact with an equal. Maybe that was why Taichi found him so infuriating.

Taichi, seeing Yamato's expression go blank with a little crease between his brows, assumed the worst. And he was surprised how much it _hurt_ that Yamato didn't want to be his friend.

"Hey," the Prince offered quietly. "No worries. Let's just go back. Koushiro and I will leave after the ceremony."

"Wait. That wasn't supposed to be taken as a rejection. I... I don't think I've ever had a real friend before, so I'm not sure how to go about it. I don't know if I can, but I swear I'll try. For you." Yamato wasn't sure if Taichi believed him. It was the truth, though. All of it. He really didn't have a clue, but he wanted to try. The only question remaining was did his word mean anything to Taichi now?

Taichi stepped closer. Yamato looked so unsure and miserable. The Prince tried to imagine what life would have been like without his sister, without Koushiro, or any of the others he considered friends. The King wasn't meeting his eyes, so Taichi turned his chin with a soft hand.

"I would be honored, King Yamato, to be your first friend."

They smiled at each other and just when Yamato began to feel tears pricking at his eyes, Taichi leaned in closer and lips kneaded against his own.

When they parted for air, gone was the King's smug self-assurance. Instead, Yamato was left feeling slightly dazed. Maybe he'd been going about this business of wooing the Prince in entirely the wrong way... "That's friends?"

The Prince smiled and kissed him again, for looking so adorable. "That's friends with benefits," Taichi told him, pulling Yamato close.

Hands slid. Clothes were removed. And if either man noticed the cold while they learned and tasted the other's skin, neither said a word.

When they'd redressed in the fresh clothing and Taichi then led Yamato from the clearing, no fog appeared to cloud their path.

-

TBC...


	13. The Night and Morning After

**Disclaimer & Warnings:**

See previous chapters.

**Author's Notes:**

Sweet merciful Digigods. The last time I updated this was January _2005_. People have been asking me for updates, too. Erm... I am sorry for leaving it for so long. Please accept this next chapter with a minimum of sporking me. I also, unfortunately, can't promise when 14 will be up... I'm finishing up a Master's program, getting a new (and full-time) job, and will be moving at the end of June. I really have no clue what my life will be like in three months. I _do_ promise, however, that it will not be a year and a half before the next update.

**Captive Complications  
by Ice'is Blue**

**13. The Night and Morning After**

When Taichi entered the camp's clearing, Koushiro and Daisuke were sitting close to each other on a log by the fire. A little... _too_ close. The knight's face was flushed and Taichi suspected it wasn't from the heat of burning wood... or perhaps that was the problem entirely. The prince didn't have a view of Koushiro's crotch, nor did he want one... but he wasn't above teasing the knight, unfounded or not.

Daisuke's attention had snapped to Taichi the moment the royal pair had entered the clearing. He could see that the prince was noticing Koushiro's bothered state, but Daisuke was drawn to noticing the new patterns in the prince's aura and what those new patterns meant.

"You're not a virgin anymore!"

Taichi, who had been about to tease Koushiro, choked and took a step back.

Yamato held up his hands and backed away from everybody. "Hey, hey, hey, no one told me about needing a virgin for this ritual thing."

Koushiro stared at Taichi in horror. How had this happened? It was impossible. Taichi hated his captor. But Daisuke wouldn't lie about something like this, would he? The knight prayed the nymph had made a mistake.

Taichi's brain was mush. The collar of his loaned shirt was suddenly much tighter and he sputtered, "But I didn't... We just... I... We only... I... He... I... I... I..."

Yamato took two long strides and pressed himself into very close proximity with the almost-hyperventillating Prince. With Taichi forced into riding Yamato's thigh, the King claimed Taichi's mouth, putting it to a much better use. He pulled back, licked a little at the brunet's bottom lip, then said, "I had a nice time. How about you?"

Because Daisuke was a sex nymph -- or a fertility nymph as those more high-browed (and stuffy) preferred to call them -- he could literally _see_ the lust radiating off of the pair. Then the whirlwind of lust surrounding the Prince tornadoed into nothing and Taichi shoved Yamato away with a confused, upset look.

"You're doing it again. Remember what we talked about?"

Yamato sobered as much as he could in his aroused state. "I'm being serious, though. I was asking you if you had enjoyed yourself. I'm being considerate, thinking of your feelings. The nymph upset you with his question, so I was --"

"I am not upset!" Taichi snarled.

The nymph bit his tongue to keep from smiling as Taichi was sidetracked easily. He felt some remorse for starting this interlude, but since the pair stayed focused on each other and weren't disturbingly upset, he allowed himself to relax and watch the sparks fly with amusement.

Yamato took up the Prince's hand and placed a kiss upon it, watching Taichi the whole while. "Friends?" the blond asked.

Taichi made him wait. Most of this time he spent calculating just how embarrassed he should be by the nymph's revelation. A small portion of him worried if their hasty actions had truly caused harm to the ritual's plans. Yet, as the Prince watched nerves overtake the King's expression, he swiftly decided upon forgiveness.

"I liked it," he said, his voice coming out barely as a whisper. "Friends. Maybe more?" Yamato's answering smile was confident and warm. Taichi shook his head to recover from the sudden blush. They _hadn't_ gone all the way. Clearly, though, they'd gone far enough for the nymph to have noticed a difference in him somehow. Sitting next to Daisuke, Koushiro was still looking at him, horrified. "It was by my choice," he told the knight.

Daisuke took this as his cue. He stood. "Then all is well. Your... actions... have not disturbed any of the requirements. Unless... either of you feels he is too tired to participate tomorrow?" He smirked at their affronted dignity. "No? Then I suggest the three of us have our dinner and then all of us get some sleep. We will have to wake early in the morning so that I may instruct you in your roles."

Taichi nodded and sat down while the others converged on the stew pot. Something was off. "Wait a minute. What the heck have you two been doing if not eating?" On the pulse point of Koushiro's wrist, a tell-tale mark sprawled. Through the deeply plunging V of the nymph's garment, bite-marks liberally decorated the smooth expanse of chest. The Prince rounded on his friend. "You hypocrite!"

Koushiro flushed and tried to deny it, although he knew bloody well what Taichi was talking about. "What? I didn't say anything. I can't be a hypocrite if I didn't say anything!"

Yamato joined in the fun, able to tease this time, since he wasn't dealing with his temperamental would-be lover. "Oh, I'm sure you didn't say much of anything resembling words while you and the nymph were rolling about half-naked," he agreed wickedly.

Stress and anxiety, two things that Daisuke didn't pick up normally, came in rolling waves from Koushiro. If he ever wanted to enjoy the quiet man again, he had to do something. But what? The royals were primed to continue their vein for a good, long time. Equally, he couldn't say anything that would set the new lovers at each other's throats again. Logic, reasoning, might work, but it had its own price. He could think of no other way.

"Enough," the nymph said, breaking in before Taichi could comment further. "As we approach the ritual date, the ambient... energies... encourage emotions already present. All of you got caught up in the spirit of the moment, I think."

The nymph's words quickly brought silence. Yamato watched Taichi turn thoughtful as the knight managed to look both betrayed and guilty. Yamato himself, however, was confident in his pairing. Their bonds were formed long before this evening. They might have finally consummated their love this night, but it had burned beneath the surface of their relationship for far longer. He would let Taichi come to that conclusion on his own, though. His lover so did enjoy asserting his independence.

The King took a bite of his now-cooling stew and he figured it was a good opportunity to win points with the chef. "Wonderful food, Taichi. Thank you."

Daisuke perked up at the change of subject and tried his own bowl, eyes widening as he tasted the contents. "There are herbs in here that do not grow at this elevation. Where...?"

Koushiro ducked his head, still confused about his feelings for the nymph. He tried the stew, then recognized that Taichi had used Koushiro's mother's favorite herb. "The herbs were mine, I think." He'd been asleep while the stew had been prepared. "Our elevation isn't that different from here, but... It's said that my mother has a way with plants."

Taichi grinned and waggled his eyebrows at the nymph. "He's just being modest. Lady Pineapple's got the best gardens in the kingdom. Why else would they have such a ridiculous na--" His mouth slammed shut as his brain caught up with what he'd been saying.

Daisuke couldn't hide his amusement this time. Koushiro, although not angry with the Prince's words, was undoubtedly embarrassed.

"It's my father's favorite fruit," he murmured. "Tangy and sweet," he said, looking up at the nymph, as the nymph thought of other things that could be described the same. "I could bring you some sometime..."

'Bring' ... not 'send for.' Daisuke's heart panged. That was right. The knight would be leaving after the ritual was complete. Yamato and Taichi were unaware of the cause for the sudden tension, so they remained quiet.

"You don't have to. I've actually tried it before," the nymph found himself saying. "There's a special tree in the Glen that produces all the fruit in the world." It wasn't a warm answer, he knew. Quite discouraging, in fact.

As was to be expected, Koushiro's cautious enthusiasm retreated.

Daisuke felt awful for causing someone he genuinely liked to feel insecurity. This, though, was the way of things. Koushiro would be leaving and seeing him for only a few more times in the human's all-too-short mortal lifespan. It was a fact he would just have to learn to accept and Daisuke would make sure to savor what they did have from now on. He gave Koushiro a dazzling smile to make up for his earlier remark.

"It's only for special occasions, though... so if you wouldn't mind making the trip and bringing me another taste, I'd genuinely enjoy your company."

Koushiro's worry eased and he smiled tentatively once more. "Um... okay," he said.

Daisuke winked and blew him a kiss. The knight blushed while the King and Prince looked on and laughed.

They all went to bed soon after. It had been a very long day.

888

The next morning dawned drizzly and grey.

Taichi, much to his own chagrin, had slept in Yamato's arms for warmth. To the King's credit (and mild frustration), however, the latter had behaved like a perfect gentleman. Neither of them had wanted to sleep in Yamato's pavilion that night, so instead of pushing aside silks and satins, the Prince shrugged out of Yamato's embrace and rose from the bower of soft grasses and ferns. Koushiro still slumbered by the fire where he had slept alone. The knight had been quiet since Taichi had brought up his mother's talents, and the Prince suspected that something deeper was going on. The nymph, who had also acted subdued after dinner, was absent.

Nature called and Taichi walked a short way downwind. Business done, he wandered by the stream bank and found the nymph. The creature was curled up on a wide, flat rock with his back against an enormous tree. His violet eyes gazed out across the swiftly moving water.

Daisuke nodded in recognition and motioned for the Prince to join him. They had things to discuss -- things best unheard by the King. The nymph wanted the dirt on what had happened after administering the pink dust.

888

"He called you 'Master'?"

"Yeah," the Prince continued, brushing the question aside. "And that wasn't even the worst of it," he fumed. "He completely missed my point... didn't even see how his actions had affected me."

Daisuke let him continue, only half-listening. The other half of his attention was required to keep his mirth in check. It was a battle he was destined to lose.

"Why are you laughing at me?" Taichi demanded. He hadn't said anything particularly funny, and as embarrassing as the situation was, he didn't think the nymph was the sort to laugh at other people's misfortunes.

Daisuke took that as his cue to cease holding it back and he laughed long and loud and hard. "Not _at_ you," he tried to assure the seething Prince. "It's..." He coughed and tried to assume a serious expression, but the attempt was ruined by the grin that split his face. "If Yamato called you 'Master' that was a decision he made entirely on his own. None of my spells are ever that specific."

Realization bloomed on Taichi's face, bringing a shocked grin that was just as wide as Daisuke's.

The nymph had a wicked thought then. What if the King _liked_ being dominated? Was that the reason he continually antagonized Taichi? Did he _want_ the Prince to take charge and put him in his place?

"What?" Taichi asked him. "You've gone quiet again."

Daisuke gauged the Prince through slitted eyes. "I'll tell you when you're older."

Taichi merely snorted. "Enough. You said you needed to inform me of my part in the ceremony."

Immediately the nymph became solemn. He stretched his hand back to stroke the tree trunk supporting him, drawing comfort from the life force offered to him.

"The ritual must take place in a sacred space, known as Lover's Glen. Once you and Yamato pass through the arch, turn back and speak together: 'We call for the Veil to descend upon us, to guard us during this sacred time.' The forest will seal the opening and none may enter until you exit. After you speak these words, you are free to talk to each other. Along the edge of the glen will be a path of dirt. Take the left-hand fork and stop when you come to a tree contained by a stone barrier. Each of you should pick a single piece of fruit and feed it to the other. Save the stone beneath your tongue so you won't swallow it if you are startled. Then, you each should take a handful of dirt from the tree's roots and wipe it across the other's cheeks and brow.

"Take hands and walk along the path to the sacred flame. Pass your hands over the flame, palms down; then with joined hands, lift the flame into the dragon's mouth. You'll know when it's right to set it down. You'll need to remove your clothes at this point. There will be a carved space at your feet for you to store them in. After you have disrobed, continue together toward the spring.

"At the spring, use wetted hands to smooth water on the other's belly and down the legs, all the way to the tops of the feet. Then, give each other a drink of water from the spring using your cupped hand. After, link an arm about the other's waist, return to the archway and continue up to the center of the glen.

"The upper crest of the inner circle will be a mound of earth. Decide between you who will open the hole and who will plant the seeds. The one who decides to dig should pass his fruit stone to the other through a kiss, then he needs to make a hole deep and wide enough in the apex of the mound. The other should place the stones into the hole and together you should cover over the hole, saying: 'As our seed fills the earth, let the land receive new birth.'

"After that it's simple. Go to the grass at the very center. Place a kiss upon the other's chest, just a hand's width below your bowed chin. Then, whoever dug will receive the one who planted. Let nature take its course. Afterward, just make sure that both his seed and yours touches the ground. And then, this isn't required, but you may place some of each atop where you planted.

"Ew," Taichi commented. "How's it supposed to get all the way up there?"

The nymph smiled. "Like I said. That part's optional." He watched Taichi squirm on the rock. "Everything okay?"

Truthfully, the Prince was feeling overwhelmed. He didn't have anything to object to because it all hadn't sunk in yet. "It seems simple enough. I'd feel better going over it again."

"Then we'll go over it again," Daisuke said.

888

Once Daisuke was satisfied that Taichi could complete the ritual without error, he expected them to return to the campsite.

The Prince had other ideas.

"What's bothering you and Koushiro?"

The nymph sighed and shifted uncomfortably. As much as he was involved in other people's romantic business, he preferred to keep them out of his own. But Prince Taichi and Sir Koushiro were friends, and Daisuke doubted the brunet would let him evade the question.

"Your knight and I enjoyed each other's company..." Taichi gave the nymph a look at this phrasing "...but we are from two different worlds. Once the ritual has been performed, you all will return to your homes while I remain in this forest."

"He's going to miss you," Taichi said, the realization hitting him.

Daisuke gave a sad smile. "I would say that I hope so, but that would just be cruel. He has his duties, as I have mine."

"You'd miss _him_," Taichi exclaimed in wonder. He thought rapidly. "The prosperity of this land would be endangered if you did not take care of it," he mused aloud. "That in itself is a service to the Crown. And services expertly rendered deserve their own reward," he proclaimed, smiling as the nymph looked at him with surprise. "If Koushiro wants to stay, I'll figure out a way. There are some perks to being a Prince, you know."

Daisuke pondered the Prince's offer. His life span was much longer than a mortal's. It had been a long time since he had claimed a serious lover and there was no proof that Koushiro wanted that from him. It might just be better to look upon these days with fondness, than trying to cobble a relationship out of nothing that was doomed to sorrow anyway. "Perhaps not. He will feel more comfortable with his own kind."

"His own kind? Sure, he'd be more comfortable, but books don't talk back and I don't want to know if they can provide physical comfort in ways that I've never thought of."

Daisuke couldn't help laughing at the notion. Then his melancholy returned. "This was just supposed to be a dalliance between him and I"

"You're playing with him?" Taichi asked darkly.

"No! He... intrigues me. He has so many questions. And he has very talented hands." He brushed the vivid memories away. Now wasn't the time to remember.

"Then I'll ask you again: What's the problem?"

Saying it out loud would make it more true. Taichi wasn't giving him a choice, though. "His bones will be dust long before I show signs of aging."

Taichi felt instantly guilty for pushing. "Oh," he said with sympathy. "I see. I understand why you would want to stick to your own kind."

"It's not that. Relationships between fae and human lovers aren't uncommon, but they only last a short while. The humans get all sorts of destructive emotions as they begin to age and we don't. Only short-term affairs end happily."

Taichi rested his hand on the fae's shoulder. "Then for both your sakes, let him make that choice."

888

Both Taichi and the nymph were gone when Yamato awoke. There was a chill in the air so he set about coaxing the spent fire back into a blaze, feeding the glowing coals dry grass and small twigs, and wishing more than once for the firedrake to reappear. Although his movements and curses had been quiet, the knight stirred and eventually sat up.

"Good morning," Yamato offered politely.

Koushiro, who was still annoyed with the King for his behavior the previous night, gave him an irritated glare. "Morning."

_Well. _Someone _certainly wasn't a morning person,_ Yamato thought.

"Where's Taichi?" the knight asked.

"Not sure. Maybe he's off watering the bushes," Yamato said. The grasses beside him had been warm to the touch, suggesting that the Prince had left his side only a short while ago. "If anyone wonders, I'm going to freshen up," he announced and headed for the stream, hoping to meet Taichi there.

Yamato hoped to surprise Taichi, so he crept along the trail with quiet skill. The first thing he noticed over the sound of the water was the nymph's voice saying something about rubbing water on someone's belly. He crept closer, made himself a comfortable seat, listened some more, and concluded that the nymph was discussing the ritual with Taichi. There was an interesting bit of instruction over the passing of seed, followed by a sobering talk of the relationship between the nymph and the knight. He listened for a while, then became trapped in his own thoughts.

They _would_ be leaving soon. As soon as the ritual was complete. Presumably, that meant that Taichi would return to his kingdom and Yamato to his own. Yamato's responsibilities prevented him from following after Taichi for any decent length of time. He was a King, and any romance conducted could not interfere with his rule. The Prince would have to come to him if they wanted this to continue. _Would Taichi do it?_

He closed his eyes and let himself remember last night's grand finale. Taichi had been perfect. Yamato didn't want to give him up so soon.

A tap on his shoulder made him twist around sharply. The movement set the log he'd been balanced on begin to roll. Taichi's arm was there to steady him.

The Prince fixed the frazzled King with a playfully suspicious stare as Daisuke looked on from behind. "And just what do you think you're doing spying on me out here?"

"I wasn't!" He thought about it. "Could I get a reduced charge of eavesdropping?"

Taichi raised an eyebrow. "That depends. Just how much did you hear?" He wasn't angry at all, but he was curious if Yamato had been there from the beginning... if he had heard Taichi's feelings about the night before.

"I arrived when the nymph was walking you through the end of the ceremony."

"The first or the third time?" Daisuke queried.

"There were multiple times?" Yamato asked.

"Third," Taichi told the nymph, blushing, but relieved his secrets were safe.

"No need to feel badly," Daisuke said. "You learned very well." He addressed Yamato. "Would Your Highness like me to instruct you on the parts you missed?"

"Uh, if that means memorizing what you say word-for-word like Taichi had to, no thanks." He glanced at the Prince. "If you're okay with that, Taichi? I trust you to let me know what I need to do."

Taichi, who had been at first annoyed by Yamato's uninvolved attitude, melted at this admission of trust. Even if the words were a clever ploy to get out of the nymph's training... the King got points for sweetness. He helped the blond to his feet. "It's all right with me."

The nymph looked at the pair. It would be better for them both to know their roles. The ceremony itself had been known to cause... distraction... in its participants. If that was the argument, though, Taichi was the more level-headed of the two. "It should be fine," he said.

"Good," Yamato said in relief. "So... when do we do this? Now?"

Taichi blanched at the thought. Surely he wouldn't have to do _that_ before breakfast? What was the King thinking? Although... the nymph had said that they had to get up early today... maybe they had to fast, or do meditation, or some other such unpleasant purification process.

"No, not now," Daisuke said. "Eager, aren't you?"

Yamato resented that comment. For once his thoughts concerning Taichi had been completely pure.

"The ritual should be begun at sundown," the nymph continued. "So you have until then to amuse yourselves."

"Then why did you have us get up early?" Taichi demanded, equally relieved and miffed though he'd woken of his own accord.

Daisuke smiled impishly. "Getting up earlier means more quality time together before the ritual."

Amused, Yamato pulled Taichi into a loose hug. "Considering our track record, are you sure that's wise? I do have a tendency to make an ass out of myself."

Taichi leaned back and tilted his head up for a kiss. "We'll be fine. You're behaving quite well today, so far. Keep it up, and I'll have to reward you later."

Yamato's pulse raced. "So, my good friend, how should we spend our day?"

Taichi's eyes sparkled. "You'll just have to wait and see, won't you?"

888

-

TBC...


End file.
